Short-term efficacy of exercise therapy for temporomandibular disorders: a case control study.
Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, Shigemitsu Sakuma, Nobumi Ogi and 2 others
PMID 36744198WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with locked jaw who received manual therapy plus home exercises improved more in jaw opening and daily life function after two weeks than those who only received an explanation of their condition.
Both groups improved, but the treatment group saw greater gains in pain and function.
Key findings
01The treatment group (manual therapy and home exercise) showed significantly greater improvement in maximum painless opening distance and difficulty in daily life compared to the control group.
02Pain on motion and pain on mastication improved significantly in the treatment group, but did not improve significantly in the control group.
03A higher percentage of patients in the treatment group moved from moderate/severe disability to mild/no disability for jaw opening (58% vs 5%) and daily life difficulty (46% vs 50% for control, though control had exacerbations).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was not randomized, which introduces selection bias. Blinding of participants and therapists was not possible. The control group received only an explanation, which is not an active treatment, so it is unclear how much of the benefit is due to the specific exercises versus the natural course of the disease or the placebo effect of attention. Baseline maximum painless opening distance differed significantly between the two groups, which may have influenced the outcomes. The sample size was small (17 per group). The follow-up period was short (two weeks), so long-term efficacy is unknown.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the home exercise program alone is responsible for the improvements. The treatment group received both manual therapy by a dentist and home exercises, so the contribution of each component cannot be separated. Furthermore, the control group also improved, suggesting the natural course of the disease plays a significant role.