Evaluation of Pain Relief Using Keinso taping technique Versus plain local anesethia injection for Treatment of Acute Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome of the Temporomandibular Joint. A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of Kinesio Taping (KT) versus plain local anesthesia (LA) injection for pain relief in patients experiencing acute myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) Methods: The trial was conducted on 6 medically free patients experiencing acute MPS of the temporomandibular joint. Patients were randomly assigned into two equal groups (n=3 each). Group 1 (control) received trigger point injections with 3% mepivacaine. Group 2 (intervention) received Kinesio taping. Clinical assessment included pre-operative evaluation of trigger points, pain score using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and maximum mouth opening (MMO) using a caliper.Results: Both groups demonstrated highly statistically significant improvements in VAS and MMO (P < 0.001 for VAS, P = 0.001 for MMO in both groups). Specifically, in Group 1, the median VAS decreased from 8.5 to 3, and MMO increased from 30mm to 37mm. In Group 2, the median VAS showed an even more pronounced decrease from 9.5 to 0, and MMO improved from 35.5mm to 41.5mm. The inter-group comparison revealed no statistically significant difference in maximum mouth opening between the two groups at any time point (P > 0.05). However, for pain scores (VAS), Group 2 demonstrated a highly statistically significant superior long-term pain reduction compared Group 1 at both the 1-month and 3-month follow-up periods (P < 0.001).Conclusion: The study concluded that both treatments are beneficial for MPDS, yet Kinesio Taping offers a more prolonged pain relief, suggesting it as a valuable, non-invasive alternative for managing this condition