Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Kinesiotaping and Inactivation of Trigger Points in Chronic Myofascial Pain of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction

BACKGROUND:

Temporomandibular Dysfunction (TMD) is a disease characterized by a set of signs and symptoms that may include joint noise, pain in the mastication muscles, limitation of mandibular movements, facial pain, joint pain and / or dental wear. Pain appears as a very present and striking symptom, with a tendency to chronicity. This is a difficult treatment condition often associated with psychological factors such as anxiety. In patients with a longlasting TMD syndrome, especially those of a muscular nature, palpation can locate the trigger points of pain (TrP) in the chewing muscles, i.e. the nodules in the shape of bumps the size of grains of rice or peas. Of particular importance in the treatment of pain syndromes of temporomandibular joint disorders is physiotherapy and physical therapy. Some studies have shown improvement in subjects with chronic pain using different physiotherapy treatments, but this requires further investigation to determine the effectiveness of individual therapies in the fight against pain.

PROBLEM:

The multiple manifestation of symptoms causes a multitude of treatment methods and indicates that there is still no consensus in the understanding of the pathophysiology of the underlying TMD mechanisms. Treatment of pain syndrome in temporomandibular dysfunction due to heterogeneity of causes should have a multiprofile character. Despite the wide range of strategies used to treat patients with TMD, some patients have a temporary and / or unsatisfactory relief response. There are many physiotherapeutic methods to fight pain, among others: compressive mobilization, positional release, myofascial relaxation, active relaxation technique, postisometric relaxation technique. Of the commonly used methods, a deep tissue massage and stretching. Some of them are very unpleasant for patients, because in the first phase they intensify pain, eg active inactivation (therapy) of trigger points (TrP). Kinesiotaping is a painless method that does not intensify pain symptoms. Reports from various researchers are contradictory in this regard, hence the attempt to compare both methods in the aspect of non-pharmacological analgesic activity in patients with TMD.

HYPOTHESIS: