Effects on migraine, neck pain, and head and neck posture, of temporomandibular disorder treatment: Study of a retrospective cohort

Abstract

Objectives: The present study purposed to observe the response of comorbidities of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) including migraine and cervical dysfunction after painful TMD treatment.

Design: A total of 187 patients were included: 45 had no symptoms related to the painful TMD and migraine (Control), 52 had the painful TMD only (pTMD), 47 had the painful TMD that occurred earlier than the migraine (TMD1ST), and 43 had the migraine that occurred earlier than the painful TMD (MIG1ST). All patients were diagnosed based on the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders and International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. Head and neck posture were assessed using lateral cephalogram. Myofascial trigger points were evaluated in the two masticatory and four cervical muscles. Stabilization splint therapy and physical therapy were applied to all patients for six months.

Results: MIG1ST showed lesser improvement of the intensity of the orofacial and neck pain and forward head posture than the pTMD and TMD1ST after 6 months TMD treatment. In addition, lesser degree of symptomatic progress of intensity, duration and frequency of the migraine in MIG1ST was detected than in TMD1ST after 6 months TMD treatment.

Conclusion: The effects of TMD management on symptomatic changes of its comorbidities including the migraine and cervical dysfunction could be determined by onset order of comorbid conditions relative to TMD.

Keywords: Cormobidity; Migraine; Neck pain; Posture; Temporomandibular disorder; Trigger point.