PMID: 15250431Jul 15, 2004Paper

The additional value of a home physical therapy regimen versus patient education only for the treatment of myofascial pain of the jaw muscles: short-term results of a randomized clinical trial

Journal of Orofacial Pain
Ambra MichelottiR Martina

Abstract

To compare the short-term efficacy of patient education only versus the combination of patient education and home exercises for the treatment of myofascial pain of the jaw muscles. Seventy myogenous temporomandibular disorder patients were assigned to 2 treatment groups. One group received patient education supplemented by general information about self-care of the jaw musculature. The other group received both education and a home physical therapy program. Treatment contrast, calculated from the mean normalized relative changes in anamnestic and clinical scores, was used to determine treatment success. Clinical outcome measures included pressure pain threshold (PPT) of the masseter, anterior temporalis, and Achilles tendon; pain-free maximal jaw opening; and pain on chewing, spontaneous muscle pain, and headache as rated on visual analog scales. After 3 months the success rate was 57% for the group that received education only and 77% for the group that received both education and home physical therapy (P = .157). The patients were then redivided into 2 groups: successfully treated patients and unsuccessfully treated patients. In the unsuccessfully treated group, pain-free maximal jaw opening increased significantly more among...Continue Reading

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