Comparative evaluation of the effect of therapeutic ultrasound and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation in temporalis and masseter myofascial pain

Abstract

Background: Myofascial pain is the one which originates from myofascial trigger points in skeletal muscle. The specific treatment should be aimed at finding the etiology and removing the root of cause, and when specific etiology is difficult to be determined, an oral physician should rely on treatment, which is less invasive and reversible, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and therapeutic US for pain and muscle dysfunction. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine and compare the therapeutic efficacy of ultrasound and TENS in the management of myofascial pain. Settings and Design: This study was a prospective and comparative study with randomized collection and division of samples with myofascial pain. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with myofascial pain in the masseter and temporalis muscle were assigned into two different groups with 15 patients in each. Group 1 received TENS therapy and Group 2 received Th US. Both the groups were evaluated using the visual analog scale scale for pain. Statistical Analysis: The analysis was done using the Student's t-test (paired t-test and unpaired t-test) for intragroup and intergroup comparison. Results: The results showed a significant reduction in the mean pain score after treatment in Th US (2.07) as compared to TENS (3.20). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups before treatment (P = 0.692); however, immediately after treatment, the difference was found to be significant (P = 0.003), and also significant in the 1 week follow up visit after treatment (P = 0.000). Intragroup comparison of pain index before and after treatment showed statistically significant differences (P = 0.000) within TENS and Th US group with the exception of comparison between posttreatment and the follow-up scores in Th US group (P = 0.301). Conclusion: It was concluded that the use of Th US when compared to TENS appeared to be better procedure for myofascial pain management.