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BACKGROUND:The third molar extraction may lead to different degrees of soft tissue damage. Ultrasound and ultrashort waves belong to hyperthermia, which can increase tissue temperature and improve the therapeutic efficacy of soft tissue stretch. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of soft tissue stretch combined with ultrasound and ultrashort wave therapy for patients who were recently diagnosed with trismus and pain folowing third molar removal. METHODS:Sixteen patients with trismus and pain after third molar removal were randomly divided into two groups: patients in stretch group received soft tissue stretch with ultrasound and ultrashort wave therapy, while those in control group received only ultrasound and ultrashort wave therapy. Patients received the treatment five times per week, totaly for 2 weeks. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:It was found that after treatment pain was significantly reduced at the temporomandibular joint, and the range of maximum active mouth opening increased significantly. The improvement in mouth opening and temporomandibular joint function was better in the stretch group than the control group. These findings indicate that ultrasound and ultrashort wave therapy can improve symptoms of trismus and pain folowing third molar removal, and the combination of ultrasound and ultrashort wave therapy and soft tissue stretch therapy can achieve more effective results.
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Objective To analyze the clinical effects of individualized comprehensive physiotherapy interventions for temporomandibular disorders (TMD).Methods Data of 307 patients with TMD treated between April 2011 and March 2012 in the authors' department were collected and reviewed.All the patients were treated with individualized comprehensive physiotherapy approach based on the patient's category in research diagnostic criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD),such as patient education,ultrashort-wave diathermy,ultrasound therapy,soft tissue massage,joint mobilization and stabilization exercise.The treatment was administered for 3 weeks.The baseline and endpoint outcome assessment measures were maximum active mouth opening (mm),visual analogue scale (VAS) score and joint clicking (100％ before treatment).Results At the end of treatment,the patient's maximum active mouth opening [(36.95 ± 6.59) mm],VAS score (1.21 ± 0.62) and joint clicking [(29 ± 17) ％] improved significantly (P ＜ 0.05) compared to baseline.Conclusions Individualized comprehensive physiotherapy interventions can improve symptoms of TMD,such as joint clicking,pain,limited mouth opening.