Keywords
TMD, chronic musculoskeletal pathologies, TMDs, masticatory muscle massage, pain, TMJ, muscle hyperactivity
MUSCLE RELAXATION, TMJ, CHRONIC PAIN, DISORDERS, TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDERS, DISEASES, HYPOTONIC
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) may affect quality of life in an unprecedented manner. These might include, but are not limited to, being primary sources of chronic pain, impairment of chewing, swallowing threshold, speech, and breathing function, gradually becoming one of the major public health problems [According to epidemiological data, a large proportion of the world’s population is affected by TMDs, with an estimated 25% of adults presenting with physical and/or visible symptoms [In recent years, there has been a significant development in the knowledge of the etiology and treatment of the aforementioned problems. With the continuous search for better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, attention has been directed at the possibility of using non-invasive therapeutic strategies in patients with TMDs symptoms [In daily clinical practice, it can be observed that TMD treatment is usually carried out by a team using several types of interventions, including splint therapy [Numerous studies have evaluated the efficacy of TE in various subacute and chronic musculoskeletal pathologies [The main goals of PT in TMDs are to reduce pain, lower hypertonic muscle hyperactivity and improve function in hypotonic muscles, restore TMJ joint mobility, which eventually leads to mandibular proprioception and biomechanics enhancement. PT treatment is usually reversible and non-invasive [According to the contemporary definition given by International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT), MT should be understood as: “a specialized area of PT dedicated to the management of neuromusculoskeletal diseases, based on clinical reasoning and the application of highly specialized treatment methods, including manual techniques and therapeutic exercises” [According to a study by Rashid et al., up to 72% of respondents found PT to be an effective form of TMD treatment, with the most effective treatments being therapeutic TMJ exercises (79%), ultrasound (52%), MT (48%), acupuncture/dry needling (41%) and laser therapy (15%) [In the literature, there is a growing number of current scientific studies evaluating the effectiveness of PT. On the contrary, the importance of soft tissue MT and therapeutic exercises requires further randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which are the best evidence for interventions [Most scientific findings emphasize the effectiveness of masticatory muscle massage in the treatment of soft tissue disorders, achieving both muscle relaxation, improved tissue blood supply and joint range of motion and reduced pain [Therefore, we hypothesized that MT factors and self-therapy alter the bioelectrical function of the masseter muscle, possibly contributing to improved TMJ mobility. A reduction in muscle tension results in a decrease in pain intensity.This study investigates the effectiveness of applied manual factors and therapeutic exercises in eliminating pain and increased muscle tension in female patients with TMDs.