Version 1
: Received: 31 August 2023 / Approved: 1 September 2023 / Online: 4 September 2023 (03:14:37 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 4 September 2023 / Approved: 5 September 2023 / Online: 5 September 2023 (07:49:35 CEST)
Macrì, M.; Rotelli, C.; Pegreffi, F.; Festa, F. Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment of Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Masticatory Muscles—Case Series. Biomedicines2023, 11, 2799.
Macrì, M.; Rotelli, C.; Pegreffi, F.; Festa, F. Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment of Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Masticatory Muscles—Case Series. Biomedicines 2023, 11, 2799.
Macrì, M.; Rotelli, C.; Pegreffi, F.; Festa, F. Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment of Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Masticatory Muscles—Case Series. Biomedicines2023, 11, 2799.
Macrì, M.; Rotelli, C.; Pegreffi, F.; Festa, F. Non-Pharmacological Pain Treatment of Patients with Myofascial Pain Syndrome of the Masticatory Muscles—Case Series. Biomedicines 2023, 11, 2799.
Abstract
Myofascial pain is the most common cause of chronic pain in the masticatory region and can be assessed through clinical analysis and muscle palpation. Generally, it appears with headache and orofacial pain associated with sensitive points (trigger points) due to the excessive contraction of the masticatory muscle fibres. The study aims to evaluate how a correct treatment of myofascial pain can improve the life quality of the affected patients. In this case series, 300 patients with myofascial pain were divided into two groups: 150 with intra- and extra-articular disorder and 150 with the only extra-articular disorder. Each group included 75 males and 75 females. All the patients were treated with gnathological therapy through passive aligners and biofeedback exercises for 4 months. They underwent pain assessment (through a visual analogue scale and muscular palpation test) before, during and after the treatment, and nuclear magnetic resonance of the temporomandibular joint before and after the gnathological treatment. The treatment considerably reduced the pain in all patients, without drugs, in 4 months, according to the visual analogue scales and the palpation test. The temporomandibular magnetic resonance in each patient was similar before and after the gnathological treatment. The improvement in pain did not depend on a change in the relationship between the articular condyle and the disc.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Dentistry and Oral Surgery
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received:
5 September 2023
Commenter:
Monica Macrì
Commenter's Conflict of Interests:
Author
Comment:
Unconscious clenching of teeth causes myofascial pain syndrome, which is the most frequent dysfunction of the temporomandibular system (temporomandibular joint, masticatory muscles, teeth). We have seen that gnathological therapy composed of passive aligners and biofeedback exercises on patients with myofascial pain syndrome reduces pain, according to VAS and palpation tests.Because our findings could be applied in the clinic and research, they are likely to be of great interest to clinicians and researchers of your journal who are interested in the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of dentistry diseases.
Commenter: Monica Macrì
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author