J Orofac Pain
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The aim of this study was to investigate whether the treatment effect of intramuscular glucocorticoid injection differs between patients with fibromyalgia and those with localized myalgia of the masseter muscle concerning pain, tenderness to digital palpation, pressure pain threshold, pressure pain tolerance level, maximum voluntary occlusal force, or intramuscular temperature. Twenty-five patients with fibromyalgia and 25 patients with localized myalgia of the masseter muscle were first asked to assess their pain on a visual analogue scale; afterward, a routine clinical examination, including tenderness to digital palpation, was performed. For each patient, the pressure pain threshold, pressure pain tolerance level, and maximum voluntary occlusal force, as well as the intramuscular temperature, were recorded. ⋯ In the fibromyalgia group, there was a reduced tenderness to digital palpation in response to the treatment. The localized myalgia group responded with a general improvement of symptoms as well as a significant reduction of pain intensity and tenderness to digital palpation. The results of this study indicate that patients with fibromyalgia and localized myalgia in many respects show a similar response to local glucocorticoid treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of systemic versus topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on postexercise jaw-muscle soreness: a placebo-controlled study.
Certain types of jaw-muscle pain may be managed with pharmacologic treatment. This study evaluated the effect of topical and systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on acute postexercise jaw-muscle soreness. Ten men without temporomandibular disorders performed six 5-minute bouts of submaximal eccentric jaw exercise. ⋯ Treatment effects on pain tolerance thresholds and on maximum voluntary occlusal force were nonsignificant. The results demonstrated that repeated eccentric jaw exercise caused muscle fatigue and low levels of postexercise pain and soreness. Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs seem to have some advantages over systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for management of exercise-induced jaw-muscle pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A controlled evaluation of ibuprofen and diazepam for chronic orofacial muscle pain.
The clinical efficacy, side effect liability, and hormonal effects of two prototypic pharmacologic agents were evaluated for the management of chronic myogenous facial pain in a double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Thirty-nine subjects (35 women,. 4 men) with daily or near-daily orofacial pain of at least 3 months' duration and tenderness to palpation of masticatory muscles participated. Patients were randomly allocated to one of four treatments: placebo, diazepam, ibuprofen, or the combination of diazepam and ibuprofen. ⋯ No significant changes were noted in muscle tenderness, interincisal opening, or plasma beta-endorphin level. This study supports the efficacy of diazepam in the short-term management of chronic orofacial muscle pain. The lack of effect following administration of an anti-inflammatory analgesic suggests that inflammation is not the basis for chronic muscle pain in the orofacial region, and that the analgesic effect of such medications is not sufficient for pain relief in this condition.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The efficacy of dry needling and procaine in the treatment of myofascial pain in the jaw muscles.
In patients with myofascial pain, painful trigger points are often treated using dry needling and local anesthetic injections. However, the therapeutic effect of these treatments has been poorly quantified, and the mechanism underlying the effect is poorly understood. In a randomized, double-blind, double-placebo clinical trial, a pressure algometer was used to measure pain-pressure thresholds in the masseter and temporalis muscles of 30 subjects aged 23 to 53 years with myofascial pain in the jaws, before and after a series of dry needling treatments, local anesthetic injections, and simulated dry needling and local anesthetic treatments (treatment group A: Procaine + simulated dry needling; treatment group B: dry needling + simulated local anesthetic; control group C: simulated local anesthetic + simulated dry needling). ⋯ There were no statistically significant between-group differences in pain pressure thresholds and visual analogue scale scores at the end of treatment. The findings suggest that the general improvement in pain symptoms was the result of nonspecific, placebo-related factors rather than a true treatment effect. Thus, the therapeutic value of dry needling and Procaine in the management of myofascial pain in the jaw muscles is questionable.
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Recent evidence suggests that a past history of physical and/or sexual abuse is more frequently reported among chronic pain populations; however, the prevalence of reported abuse has not been examined in patients with chronic orofacial pain caused by temporomandibular disorders (TMD). This study compares reported physical/sexual abuse among female TMD subjects recruited from the general population with that of age-matched female control subjects. The association of reported abuse with clinical pain, experimental pain responses, and psychologic variables was examined in the TMD group. ⋯ Reported abuse among TMD subjects was not related to clinical pain or psychologic variables. Regarding experimental pain responses, TMD subjects reporting a history of abuse exhibited longer ischemic pain tolerances compared to those not reporting abuse; however, the groups did not differ on other experimental pain measures. Results indicate that the reported prevalence of physical/sexual abuse is similar among TMD subjects compared to other chronic pain populations; however, the relationship of abuse to clinical and psychosocial variables remains unclear.