Understanding of physiotherapy for the management of temporomandibular disorders

Jung, Jae-Kwang; Kim, Ji-Rak; Byun, Jin-Seok; Choi, Jae-Kap

doi:2021.59.10.592

J Korean Dent Assoc > Volume 59(10); 2021 > Article

The Journal of The Korean Dental Association 2021;59(10):592-603.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22974/jkda.2021.59.10.006 Published online September 30, 2021.

측두하악장애의 치료를 위해 사용되는 물리치료의 이해

정재광

, 김지락

, 변진석

, 최재갑

경북대학교 치과대학 구강내과학교실

Understanding of physiotherapy for the management of temporomandibular disorders

Jae-Kwang Jung

, Ji-Rak Kim

, Jin-Seok Byun

, Jae-Kap Choi

Department of Oral medicine, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University

Correspondence: Jae-Kap Choi, Tel: +82-53-600-7321, Fax: +82-53-426-2195,
Email: jhchoi@knu.ac.kr

Abstract

Temporomandibular disorders are a collective term encompassing a variety of pathological conditions in the stomatognathic region, manifesting with the pain and dysfunction. Diverse modalities of physiotherapy are recommended for the relief of pain, the rehabilitation of function and the facilitation of injury recovery, which include the cryotherapy, thermotherapy, electrotherapy and phototherapy according to the physical properties of the applied therapeutic stimuli. Therefore, it is necessary for dental clinicians to understand the characteristics of each modality of physiotherapy for the proper application. This review focused on the clinical considerations for the careful application of physiotherapy, including the underlying mechanisms, the expected effects, indica-tion, contraindication and caution.

Key Words: Management; Physiotherapy; Temporomandibular disorders