Effects on temporomandibular disorder in the treatment of tension-type headache with acupuncture and therapeutic exercises. A secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial.

The trial was non-blinded, and the control group received usual care rather than an active or sham treatment. The analysis is secondary and exploratory; the primary headache outcomes were published separately. Participants did not receive temporomandibular disorder-specific counselling or treatment regardless of dental findings. Dropout reporting is unclear because the Results state one participant withdrew from therapeutic exercise, while the Discussion states eight participants in the medical training group dropped out. Baseline groups differed for chronic tension-type headache with pericranial sensitivity. The dental examination was performed only once at baseline, so objective dental findings were not tracked over time. The usual care group had fewer intervention appointments, which may have weakened non-specific treatment effects. The combination group received both therapeutic exercise and acupuncture, so the contribution of either component in that arm cannot be separated.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was performed as part of developing a research clinic for integrative Chinese medicine and was sponsored by Tasly Healthcare Deutschland GmbH.

Do not conclude that acupuncture or exercise is an effective treatment for temporomandibular disorder. This was a secondary analysis of headache treatment, participants received no temporomandibular disorder-specific counselling or treatment, and only acupuncture showed improvement at six months.