The Use of Manual Muscle Relaxation Techniques in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

1: Therapist (T) abducted the patients' (P) mandible until the functional barrier. P performed isometric tension of the mandibular adductors with about 20% of the maximum force, balanced by the T. After 10 secs of isometric tension, P relaxed his muscles, and T abducted the mandible to a new functional barrier. During one treatment, the cycle was repeated 3 times, each time starting from the previously obtained barrier. 2: T performed passive lateral translation of the mandible until the functional barrier. P performed isometric tension with about 20% of maximum force, as to initiate the movement of the mandible towards the resting position. T balanced the force generated by the P. After 10 secs of isometric tension, P relaxed his muscles and T deepened the lateral movement of the mandible until a new functional barrier was reached. During one treatment, the cycle was repeated 3 times, both to the right and left side, each time starting from the previously obtained barrier.

The myofascial release procedure was performed successively in the area of: the anterior parts of the temporal muscles , the superficial parts of the masseter muscles and the sternocleidomastoid muscles.During one session, the above cycle was repeated six times on both sides separately. The was lying on his back, with his head turned to the side.The therapist was behind the patient's head, using the pad of the first finger placed on the skin in the area of the initial attachment of a worked muscle, he took out the tissue slack, moving the tissues towards the perceptible limitation of mobility (caudal direction).Reaching the tissue barrier, he kept the tension of the sliding structures, shifting them until the physiological tissue barrier.A single application of the myofascial release procedure consisted of one movement moving the soft tissues along the muscle