14/09/2016
Manual Therapy for Hamstring Hypertonicity Improves Temporomandibular Dysfunction in Athletes
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, May 2016, Vol. 116, 328-329. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2016.069, Ashley Garispe, OMS IV; Michael A. Seffinger, DO
Espejo-Antúnez L, Castro-Valenzuela E, Ribeiro F, Albornoz-Cabello M, Silva A, Rodríguez-Mansilla J.
Immediate effects of hamstring stretching alone or combined with ischemic compression of the masseter muscle on hamstrings extensibility, active mouth opening and pain in athletes with temporomandibular dysfunction [published onlineJanuary 7, 2016]. J Bodyw Mov Ther. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2015.12.012.
Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) affects more than 25% of the population. Because the use of local manual therapy in the management of TMD may have limitations when patients are in acute pain, there is increasing interest in myofascial release and trigger point therapy. Physiotherapists in Spain evaluated the immediate effects of the hold-relax proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (HR-PNF) stretching technique applied to a distant site—the hamstring muscle—with and without ischemic compression of masseter muscle trigger points on “hamstring extensibility, maximal amplitude of vertical mouth opening, pressure pain thresholds, and pain intensity in athletes diagnosed with TMD and hamstring shortening.”