Article

Most patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have been shown
to have cervical spine dysfunction. However, this cervical dysfunction has been
evaluated only qualitatively through a general clinical examination of the
cervical spine.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether
patients with TMD had increased activity of the superficial cervical muscles when
performing the craniocervical flexion test (CCFT) compared with a control group
of individuals who were healthy. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted.
METHODS: One hundred fifty individuals participated in this study: 47 were
healthy, 54 had myogenous TMD, and 49 had mixed TMD.
All participants performed
the CCFT. Data for electromyographic activity of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM)
and anterior scalene (AS) muscles were collected during the CCFT for all
participants. A 3-way mixed-design analysis of variance for repeated measures was
used to evaluate the differences in EMG activity for selected muscles while
performing the CCFT under 5 incremental levels. Effect size values were
calculated to evaluate the clinical relevance of the results. RESULTS: Although
there were no statistically significant differences in electromyographic activity
in the SCM or AS muscles during the CCFT in patients with mixed and myogenous TMD
compared with the control group, those with TMD tended to have increased activity
of the superficial cervical muscles. LIMITATIONS: The results obtained in this
research are applicable for the group of individuals who participated in this
study under the protocols used. They could potentially be applied to people with
TMD having characteristics similar to those of the participants of this study.
CONCLUSION: This information may give clinicians insight into the importance of
evaluation and possible treatment of the deep neck flexors in patients with TMD.
However, future research should test the effectiveness of this type of program
through a randomized controlled trial in people with TMD in order to determine
the real value of treating this type of impairment in this population.

Langue : ANGLAIS