Effects of Electric Massage on the Cervical Region in Subjects Diagnosed With Temporomandibular Disorders

Effects of Electric Massage on the Cervical Region Combined With Local Techniques on the Temporomandibular Joint Versus an Intervention Only With Local Techniques in Subjects Diagnosed With Temporomandibular Disorders

To know the short-term effects of electric massage applied on the cervical region combined with local techniques on the temporomandibular joint versus an intervention that applies only local techniques in subjects diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders.

This study aims to know the short-term effects of electric massage applied to the cervical region combined with local techniques on the temporomandibular pain versus an intervention that applies only local techniques in subjects diagnosed with temporomandibular disorders. This is a prospective, controlled, single-blind clinical trial of 46 subjects randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 Manual Therapy=21; Group 2 Interferential massage plus Manual Therapy=25. Group 1 will receive manual therapy consisting of techniques of ischemic compression on masseter muscles and soft-tissue release technique over the temporal región. Group 2, in addition to the intervention in group 1, will receive electric massage with interferential currents at the cervical level.

Pain related measures (Visual Analogue Scale oral, Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT)), vertical mouth opening as primary outcome measures and cervical range of motion as secondary outcomes were assessed. The assessments were made before the intervention, immediately after and after 4 weeks of follow-up.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Consent of the subject to participate in the study.
• A primary diagnosis of myofascial pain according to Axis I, category Ia and Ib (i.e. myofascial pain with or without limited opening) of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC ⁄ TMD) (Schiffman E, Ohrbach R, Truelove E, et al. Diagnostic criteria for tempormandibular disorders (DC(TMD) for clinical and research applications: recommendations of the International RDC/TMD consortium network* and orofacial pain special interest group. J Oral facial pain headache. 2014;28(1):6-27").
• Bilateral pain involving the masseter and temporal regions; presence of at least one trigger point (TrP) in the masseter muscle.
• Pain symptoms history of at least the 3 months previous to the study.
• Intensity of the pain of at least 30 mm on a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
• A score of less than 45 points on the Personal Psychological Apprehension Scale (PPAS). It has been validated in the scope of physiotherapy, and represents a simple-to-handle tool in studies where subjects may undergo electrotherapy as a treatment option.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Surgical intervention of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ).
• Suffering some intra-articular damage (arthritis) or some vestibular disorder diagnosed.
• Inflammation of the TMJ.
• Having received physiotherapy treatment in the last two weeks.
• Receive pharmacological treatment for analgesic, anti-inflammatory or that could cause alterations of equilibrium.