Effects of athletic tape on orofacial pain and jaw movements after 24 hours of use: a randomized clinical trial.
Marília Dos Santos Faria, Gabriela Carolina Silva Teodoro, Júlia Ana Soares Silva and 4 others
PMID 38808856WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with TMD, 24-hour athletic tape on the masseter did not improve jaw movement and did not differ from unstretched tape.
Pain fell only at a few points within each group, with no advantage for stretching.
Key findings
01Group A had significant pain reductions at the right TMJ and left masseter origin, and Group B had a significant reduction at the left anterior temporal muscle.
02There was no significant difference between groups in pain reduction or range of mandibular movements.
03There was no significant difference in mandibular movement range before and after intervention in either group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and was a convenience sample of students with temporomandibular disorder. The diagnoses were mixed, including myalgia, arthralgia, and disc displacement. One participant in Group A and two participants in Group B were excluded after allocation. The tape was worn for only 24 hours and was applied without other therapy such as exercises or counselling. Participants had mild baseline pain, with values generally less than 4 on the 0-to-10 scale. The authors state that the results should be approached with caution and not generalized.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. Financial support was from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), funding code 001.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that 24-hour masseter athletic tape treats TMD pain. The trial found no difference between stretched and unstretched tape and no jaw-movement improvement; the significant pain changes were only at a few points within each group.