Efficacy of mckenzie’s method of therapy in subjects with temporomandibular joint disorders: an experimental study

Study Design: Pre-post experimental study.
Background and Objectives: Temporomandibular disorder is an umbrella term used for any condition associated with the jaw joint. Any blow to the jaw, Temporomandibular joint or muscles of the jaw can be the absolute cause for TMD. Moreover other causes that can lead to TMD are clenching of teeth and grinding by exerting more pressure on TMJ. Presence of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, dislocation of disc and stress can lead to tightening jaw and facial muscles.
Methods: Thirty subjects were included in the study with TMD. These subjects received McKenzie method of mechanical diagnosis and therapy for 1 session. Subjects were evaluated for baseline characteristics and functional disability using Numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), Inter- incisor mouth opening pre and post treatment and then the data was analyzed.
Results: The difference between pre and post of NPRS and inter- incisor opening in the subjects were statistically highly significant (p=0.0001).
Conclusion: McKenzie’s method of mechanical diagnosis and therapy is an effective technique in decreasing the pain intensity and increasing the inter-incisor mouth opening in subjects with temporomandibular joint disorders.