| Objective: To explore the clinical effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) combined with muscle energy technology for temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: A total of 120 patients with TMD who met the inclusion criteria were selected. The patients were randomly divided into 4 groups: conventional treatment group, ESWT group, muscle energy technique (MET) group and ESWT combined with MET (ESWT+MET) group, with 30 cases in each group. The treatments were as follows: conventional therapy and MET, once a day, 5 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks; ESWT, once a week for 4 weeks. The maximum mouth opening (MMO), pain status (VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT) and mandibular dysfunction questionnaire (MFIQ) scores were recorded before and after treatment. Result: There were no significant differences in MMO, PPT, VAS and MFIQ scores among 4 groups before treatment. After 4 weeks of treatment, the MMO and PPT in the 4 groups increased, the VAS score and MFIQ score decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the conventional treatment group, the MMO and PPT in the remaining three groups were significantly increased, and the VAS score and MFIQ score were significantly improved (P<0.05). The improvement of MMO, PPT, pain and mandibular function in the ESWT+MET group was better than that in the ESWT group and the MET group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both ESWT and MET can effectively improve the maximum mouth opening, pain and mandibular function in patients with TMD. However, the combined effectiveness of ESWT and MET is better than that of single ESWT or MET. Clinically,the combin- ation of ESWT and MET can be considered for the treatment of TMD. |
