3 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a group of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions that involve the temporomandibular joints, the masticatory muscles, and all associated tissues. These disorders are characterized by regional pain and limitation of mandibular range of motion. Pain-related TMD affects approximately 5% to 12% of the population and can affect individual's quality of life. The incidence is about 4 percent. Therapeutic ultrasound is a type of physical therapy that delivers energy via propagation of ultrasonic waves. One gap in knowledge is whether 1 megahertz (MHz) treating frequency has the same efficacy as treating with 3 MHz. This research proposes to test that.
This study will compare ultrasound 0.4 W/cm\^2 and 100% duty cycle versus no ultrasound (placebo) for bilateral masseter myalgia in up to 38 adult women. The dose will be applied for 5 minutes on each side. Both the dose and the starting side will be randomized. Both the subject and ultrasound operator will be blind to the dose. The outcome measures will be pressure pain threshold on both masseter muscles and both temporalis muscles, self reported pain scale (0, no pain to 10, worst pain ever), thermographic temperature of the muscles, and intraoral temperature. These outcome measures will be taken before and after each dose, so three times per subject.
Introduction. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a group of conditions that are multifactorial in nature, and it primarily presents with symptoms of pain and decreased functional capacity. Therapeutic ultrasound is a method of physical therapy that has shown clinically to provide immediate relief of pain in patients with different musculoskeletal disorders. In this study, for the purpose of immediate management of painful masticatory muscle and tissues, the investigators attempt to understand the mechanism of therapeutic ultrasound by exploring the physiologic changes peripherally and centrally. In addition, the investigators aim to determine if there is a dose response relationship between two different intensities (0.4 W/cm2 and 0.8 W/cm2) and between two sets of duty cycles (50% and 100%). A third purpose is to determine if therapeutic ultrasound applied to the masseter muscle is capable of eliciting segmental effects in the temporalis muscle. Methods. A total of 28 adult females with bilateral myalgia according to Diagnostic criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) will be recruited for this investigational trial. Each subject will be randomly allocated to one of the four ultrasound intervention groups each of which has different settings. Using Sonicator®740, therapeutic ultrasound intervention will be performed on both masseters for five minutes on each side of the face. A template will be used to confine the borders of the muscle and to determine the sites for the repeated outcome measures. Outcome parameters of: self-reported pain scale, pressure pain threshold, electromyographic muscle amplitudes and intraoral muscle temperatures will be measured for masseter and temporalis muscles on each side of the face, and will be assessed at baseline and after intervention on each side.