International consensus on the most useful assessments used by physical therapists to evaluate patients with temporomandibular disorders: A Delphi study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify assessment tools used to evaluate patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) considered to be clinically most useful by a panel of international experts in TMD physical therapy (PT). METHODS: A Delphi survey method administered to a panel of international experts in TMD PT was conducted over three rounds from October 2017 to June 2018. The initial contact was made by email. Participation was voluntary. An e-survey, according to the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES), was posted using SurveyMonkey for each round. Percentages of responses were analysed for each question from each round of the Delphi survey administrations. RESULTS: Twenty-three experts (completion rate: 23/25) completed all three rounds of the survey for three clinical test categories: 1) questionnaires, 2) pain screening tools and 3) physical examination tests. The following was the consensus-based decision regarding the identification of the clinically most useful assessments. (1) Four of 9 questionnaires were identified: Jaw Functional Limitation (JFL-8), Mandibular Function Impairment Questionnaire (MFIQ), Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia for Temporomandibular disorders (TSK/TMD) and the neck disability index (NDI). (2) Three of 8 identified pain screening tests: visual analog scale (VAS), numeric pain rating scale (NRS) and pain during mandibular movements. (3) Eight of 18 identified physical examination tests: physiological temporomandibular joint (TMJ) movements, trigger point (TrP) palpation of the masticatory muscles, TrP palpation away from the masticatory system, accessory movements, articular palpation, noise detection during movement, manual screening of the cervical spine and the Neck Flexor Muscle Endurance Test. CONCLUSION: After three rounds in this Delphi survey, the results of the most used assessment tools by TMD PT experts were established. They proved to be founded on test construct, test psychometric properties (reliability/validity) and expert preference for test clusters. A concordance with the screening tools of the diagnostic criteria of TMD consortium was noted. Findings may be used to guide policymaking purposes and future diagnostic research.

Visceral Manipulation Decreases Pain, Increases Cervical Mobility and Electromyographic Activity of the Upper Trapezius Muscle in Non-Specific Neck Pain Subjects with Functional Dyspepsia: Two Case Reports.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The lack of clear knowledge about the etiology of nonspecific neck pain (NS-NP) strengthens the need for other mechanisms, still poorly described in the literature, to be investigated. Therefore, a quantitative analysis of two cases of NS-NP in subjects with functiona dyspepsia was conducted in order to verify the immediate and seven-day postintervention effects of visceral manipulation (VM) to the stomach and liver on neck pain, cervical range of motion (ROM), and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the upper trapezius muscle. CASE DESCRIPTION: Case A was an 18-year-old female with a complaint of nonspecific neck pain for one year, with reported pain on waking, momentary intermittent pain, and occasional symptoms of paresthesia in the upper limbs. Case B was a 25-year-old female with a complaint of cervical pain for one year, accompanied by pain in the unilateral temporomandibular joint, and medial thoracic region. Both cases presented functional dyspepsia. OUTCOMES: The results demonstrated (subjects A and B, respectively) a general increase in cervical ROM (range: 12.5% to 44.44%) and amplitude of the EMG signal (immediately postintervention: 57.62 and 20.78; post seven days: 53.54% and 18.83%), and an increase in muscle fiber conduction velocity immediately postintervention (4.44% and 7.44%) and a decrease seven days postintervention (25.25% and 21.18%). For pain, a decrease was observed immediately postintervention (23.07% and 76.92%) and seven days postintervention (100% for both subjects). DISCUSSION: A single VM provided important clinical improvement in neck pain, cervical spine range of motion, and EMG activity of the upper trapezius muscle, immediately and seven days postintervention in two NS-NP subjects with functional dyspepsia.

Incorporation of photobiomodulation therapy into a therapeutic exercise program for knee osteoarthritis: A placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effects of incorporation of phototherapy in a therapeutic exercise program for individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) when compared to a group that received exercise alone and to a group that received exercise + placebo phototherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a randomized, blinded and placebo-controlled trial. Thus, sixty male and female individuals aged 40-80 years with knee pain in the previous 6 months participated of the study, with diagnosis of unilateral knee OA based on the criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology and radiographic confirmation and Grades 2 or 3 of the Kellgren-Lawrence Classification. The individuals were equally divided in the groups exercise alone, exercise + active phototherapy (nine-diode cluster device: one 905 nm super-pulsed diode laser, four 875 nm LED and four 640 nm LED; energy per quadrant: 7.85 J; total energy: 23.55 J per session), or exercise + placebo phototherapy. Treatments were performed twice a week for 5 consecutive weeks. Patients were evaluated before and after the sessions of treatment. The outcome measures were: Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), Numerical Rating Pain Scale (NRPS), pressure pain threshold (PPT) in two points of knee, muscle strength, and the Functional Reach Test (FRT). RESULTS: Exercise + active phototherapy was significantly more effective than exercise alone (mean difference [MD] = 2.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.17 to 2.32) and exercise + placebo phototherapy (MD = 2.38, 95% CI = 2.79 to 1.96) only with regard to the NRPS, considering minimal clinically important difference. No clinical significant results were found for function, the pressure pain threshold, muscle strength or balance. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of phototherapy and an exercise program is effective at reducing pain intensity among individuals with knee osteoarthritis than exercise alone or exercise + placebo phototherapy in a short-term protocol. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:819-828, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dentists' Awareness of Physical Therapy in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders: A Preliminary Study.

Background: Physical therapy (PT) has been shown to be one of the most effective conservative treatments for temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Not all dentists are aware of the importance of the collaboration with physical therapists in the treatment of TMD pain. Objectives: To determine the awareness of dentists in Florida about the importance of PT for TMD pain and to create awareness related to collaborations. Methods: An online questionnaire was used. A contact list of dentists was obtained from the Florida Dental Association. The overall awareness and information on patient referral were presented per dentist specialty. Results: A total of 256 dentists completed the survey. Prior to the survey, 41% of the dentists reported not aware that PTs can treat TMD patients. Oral surgeons and orthodontists were more aware about PT compared to other specialties. After the survey, 81% of the dentists were more likely to refer their TMD patients to PT, and 80% were interested to know more about the benefits of collaborations. Conclusion: This study shows the lack of dentists' awareness in Florida about the benefits of PT for TMD treatment. This study increased the awareness of the surveyed dentists in Florida about the benefit from a multidisciplinary approach.

Test-retest reliability of the different dynamometric variables used to evaluate pelvic floor musculature during the menstrual cycle.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of different dynamometric variables of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) in healthy women during different periods of menstrual cycle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Vaginal dynamometric equipment was developed by the authors and its reproducibility was tested. The PFM contractions of 20 healthy women were collected by two independent examiners over three consecutive weeks, always on the same day, with a seven-day interval between readings, starting from the first day after the end of the menstrual period. For the measurements, the branch of the dynamometer was positioned first on the sagittal plane and then on the frontal plane. Baseline, peak time, maximum PFM strength, impulse contraction, and average contraction force were calculated. Reproducibility was tested using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare the data from different days. RESULTS: For intra-day and inter-day reliability between examiners, all the parameters collected on the sagittal plane presented good and excellent reproducibility (ICC2,1 = 0.60 to 0.98), whereas reproducibility on the frontal plane was respectively poor and excellent (ICC2,1 = 0.23 to 0.97). The ANOVA revealed significant differences between sessions only for the impulse of contraction for the sagittal (P = 0.005) and frontal (P = 0.03) planes. CONCLUSIONS: Time and contraction force parameters of the PFM are not influenced by hormonal alterations that occur during the menstrual cycle. The impulse of contraction was the only variable to demonstrate a significant difference between the first and second week of the data collection protocol. The baseline, maximum strength value, impulse of contraction, and average contraction force variables presented good to excellent reproducibility and can be safely used as a method of PFM evaluation.

Immediate effect of nonspecific mandibular mobilization on postural control in subjects with temporomandibular disorder: a single-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is considered multifactorial and is defined as a group of pain conditions characterized by functional stomatognathic system alterations, which may be affected by or related disrupted postural control. OBJECTIVE: Assess the immediate effect of nonspecific mandibular mobilization (NMM) on the postural control of subjects diagnosed or not with TMD. METHOD: A simple-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was performed involving 50 subjects of both genders assigned to two groups: the TMD group and the control group. TMD was diagnosed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). A stabilometric assessment was performed by testing subjects in a quiet stance on a dual force platform under two visual conditions (eyes open and eyes closed). The Center of Pressure (CoP)-related variables analyzed were displacement, amplitude, speed of anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) displacements and CoP sway area. The mean values of each variable were compared, considering the accepted significance value of p<0.05. RESULTS: A significant difference between the pre- and post-NMM means could be observed in subjects diagnosed with TMD under the closed-eyes visual condition. There was a statistically significant difference in the CoP sway area (p<0.03) in the ML displacement COPML (p<0.006) and ML amplitude COPML (p<0.01) and in the variable speed in the AP COPAP (p<0.03) and ML COPML (p<0.03) directions, simultaneously. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that nonspecific temporomandibular joint mobilization contributes to the immediate improvement of postural control in patients with TMD.

Immediate effect of nonspecific mandibular mobilization on postural control in subjects with temporomandibular disorder: a single-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial / Efeito imediato da mobilização mandibular inespecífica sobre o controle postural em indivíduos com disfunção temporomandibular: ensaio clínico controlado, randomizado, simples cego

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is considered multifactorial and is defined as a group of pain conditions characterized by functional stomatognathic system alterations, which may be affected by or related disrupted postural control. OBJECTIVE: Assess the immediate effect of nonspecific mandibular mobilization (NMM) on the postural control of subjects diagnosed or not with TMD. METHOD: A simple-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was performed involving 50 subjects of both genders assigned to two groups: the TMD group and the control group. TMD was diagnosed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). A stabilometric assessment was performed by testing subjects in a quiet stance on a dual force platform under two visual conditions (eyes open and eyes closed). The Center of Pressure (CoP)-related variables analyzed were displacement, amplitude, speed of anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) displacements and CoP sway area. The mean values of each variable were compared, considering the accepted significance value of p<0.05. RESULTS: A significant difference between the pre- and post-NMM means could be observed in subjects diagnosed with TMD under the closed-eyes visual condition. There was a statistically significant difference in the CoP sway area (p<0.03) in the ML displacement COPML (p<0.006) and ML amplitude COPML (p<0.01) and in the variable speed in the AP COPAP (p<0.03) and ML COPML (p<0.03) directions, simultaneously. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that nonspecific temporomandibular joint mobilization contributes to the immediate improvement of postural control in patients with TMD. .

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A disfunção temporomandibular (DTM) é considerada multifatorial e se define como um grupo de condições dolorosas que se caracteriza por apresentar alterações funcionais do sistema estomatognático que podem estar relacionadas à perturbação ou a uma contribuição em relação ao controle da postura. OBJETIVO: Verificar o efeito imediato da mobilização mandibular inespecífica (MMI) sobre o controle postural em indivíduos com e sem diagnóstico de DTM. MÉTODO: Realizou-se um ensaio clinico controlado, randomizado, simples cego, com 50 indivíduos de ambos os gêneros, alocados em dois grupos: grupo DTM e grupo controle, diagnosticados segundo o RDC/TMD. Realizou-se uma avaliação estabilométrica com os indivíduos sobre uma plataforma de força, em duas condições visuais: olhos abertos e fechados. As variáveis referentes ao centro de oscilação do corpo (COP) analisadas foram: deslocamento, amplitude, velocidade de deslocamentos ântero-posterior (AP) e médio-lateral (ML) e área de oscilação do centro de pressão (COP). Os valores médios de cada variável foram comparados, considerando o nível de significância aceito de p<0,05. RESULTADOS: Foi possível verificar diferença significativa entre as médias pré e pós-MMI nos indivíduos diagnosticados com DTM na condição visual olhos fechados. Houve diferença estatisticamente significante na área de oscilação do COP (p<0,03) no deslocamento médio-lateral COPML (p<0,006), na amplitude médio-lateral COPML (p<0,01) e na variável velocidade nas direções ântero-posterior, COPAP (p<0,03) e médio-lateral ...

Relação entre postura de dormir e disfunção têmpero-mandibular / Relationship between sleeping posture and temporamandibular dysfunction

Posturas inadequadas durante atividades diurnas ou noturnas causam alterações oclusais e nas articulações têmporo-mandibulares, devido às pressões anormais produzidas pela posição incorreta e prolongada. Desta forma, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi verificar a relação entre decúbitos de dormir com presença de disfunção têmpero-mandibulares. Para isso, foram entrevistados 174 estudantes universitários por meio de questionários específicos. Observou-se a maior prevalência de disfunção nos voluntários que adotavam o decúbito ventral para dormir. Portanto, neste estudo, houve uma relação entre disfunção têmpero-mandibulares e o posicionamento adotado durante o sono principalmente o decúbito ventral

Avaliação eletromiográfica dos músculos temporal anterior e masseter em pacientes com seqüela de acidente vascular / Electomyographic evaluation of anterior temporalis and masseter muscles in patients with ischemic stroke

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a atividade de eletromiográfica dos músculos temporal anterior e masseter de sete pacientes com seqüela de acidente vascular encefálico isquêmico, capazes de entenderem instruções verbais, sem sinais ou sintomas de disfunção têmporo-mandibular, oclusãonormal e idades entre 46 a 75 anos (média 60,6 anos). Foram feitos registros da atividade eletromiográfica durante posição postural de repouso mandibular e contração isotônica. Para o registro da atividade eletromiográfica dos músculos estudados foram utilizados eletrodos de superfície ativos (Lynx EletronicsLtda.) colocados bilateralmente sobre temporal anterior e masseter. A atividade elétrica foi analisada em RMS (ôrootmean-squareö) e expressa em microvolts (μV) para as fases de repouso e contração isotônica de cada músculo. O teste não paramétrico de Wilcoxon T foi empregado para comparar a atividade de elétrica entre os lados afetados e não dos músculos avaliados. Ficou demonstrado que não houve diferença significante nos valores da atividade elétrica em RMS para os músculos avaliados entre o lado afetado pelo acidente vascular encefálico isquêmico e o não afetado, embora tenha havido predomínio de masseter e temporal anterior contralateral ao lado afetado