Effects of Soft Tissue Mobilization of Neck Muscles in Individuals With Myogenous Temporomandibular Disorders: Muscle Energy Technique and Strain-counterstrain

Chang Gung University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Myogenous Temporomandibular Disorders (mTMD)

Treatments: Behavioral: sham SCS; Behavioral: Strain-counterstrain (SCS); Behavioral: Muscle energy technique (MET)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04704102

2010280044

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a prospective case series study.There were 20 individuals with chronic neck pain accompanied by myogenous temporomandibular disorders(mTMD) from Linkou and Taoyuan Chang Gung hospitals, and Chang-Gung university. The purpose of this study was, first, to investigate the effects of muscle energy technique (MET) or strain-counterstrain (SCS) applied on the tender or trigger points of neck muscles on improving pain and pressure pain sensitivity in neck and masticatory muscles, the maximal mouth-opening range of motion, chewing endurance, and head-neck-shoulder posture in patients with chronic neck pain accompanied by mTMD. Second, whether the significant effects could be reached within the four-week intervention duration.

Enrollment: 20 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 20~65
• Self-report neck pain ≥3 months (pain occurs between superior nuchal line and 1st level of thoracic spine)
• At least one tender point at both Upper trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid muscles
• Diagnosed as mTMD according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders(DC/TMD)

Exclusion criteria

• Cognitive deficit
• Malignancy, infection, cervical or orthognathic surgery, acute pain, and history of trauma in craniocervical region
• Neurological problem or cervical radiculopathy/myelopathy
• Cervical instability with positive rotational alar ligament stress test and transverse ligament stress test, jaw dislocation
• Tooth implantation or extraction a week before study
• Vertebrobasilar insufficiency

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Sequential Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

20 participants in 3 patient groups

Muscle energy technique group

Experimental group

Description:

Use one of the muscle energy technique methods -- postisometric relaxation technique(PIR) as the intervention method.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Muscle energy technique (MET)

Strain-counterstrain group

Experimental group

Description:

Use the Strain-counterstrain technique as the intervention method.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Strain-counterstrain (SCS)

Control group

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Use the modified Strain-counterstrain technique as the intervention method.

Treatment:

Behavioral: sham SCS