Orthopaedic manual therapy in patients with myofascial pain in temporomandibular dysfunction

Background: Temporomandibular dysfunctions are disorders that encompass a set of signs and symptoms such as myofascial pain, decreased mouth opening, cervicalgia, dizziness, tinnitus, and muscle fatigue, among others. Manual therapy, as a conservative treatment of physiotherapy, focuses on pain relief and improvement of its functionality, showing its effectiveness. Objective: To identify whether orthopedic manual therapy improves myofascial pain in patients with temporomandibular dysfunctions. Methods: A quantitative longitudinal methodology was used. The sample consisted of 15 adults aged 20-40 years diagnosed with disc-originated temporomandibular dysfunction disorders at the Type "B" Health Centre of the Government Patronage of Chimborazo Province (Patronato del Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Provincial de Chimborazo). The theoretical statistical method used was the T-test or Student's t-test, and the processing of the information to obtain the data was carried out with the SPSS computer system, version 29.0 for Windows in Spanish. Results: Concerning the intervention, the difference is statistically significant in the intensity of pain measured with the Analogue Pain Scale (EVA), the severity of temporomandibular dysfunction measured with the Helkimo index, as well as the people who present anteromedial displacement of the articular disc. The confidence level p=,000 was obtained. Conclusions: orthopedic manual therapy improves the myofascial pain presented by patients with temporomandibular dysfunctions. A significant statistic is evidenced.