Introduction: Massage of the lateral pterygoid muscle according to Cyriax's principles is an unrecognized procedure. This procedure was tried on patients presenting with temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome.
Material and methods: Fifteen patients were treated. Pain, joint clicking, measurement of mouth opening, lateral excursion and propulsion were recorded. Assessment was made before and after the massage in the same consultation.
Results: Joint clicking was solved in 80% and pain in 50% of the cases. Mouth opening increased by 12.8%, propulsion by 11.6% and lateral excursion by 41.3%.
Discussion: Massage of the lateral pterygoid muscle according to Cyriax's principles is a simple and efficient method that can be recommended for patients presenting with temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome. We performed a brief anatomical and radiological MRI study supporting the feasibility of lateral pterygoid muscle palpation.