Home-exercise regimes for the management of non-specific temporomandibular disorders

Abstract

There is a consensus on treatment strategies for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) being reversible. Among reversible therapies, physiotherapy is often chosen for the treatment of TMD pain and dysfunction because it is simple and non-invasive, it has a low cost as compared with other treatments, it allows an easy self-management approach, it allows a good doctor-patient communication, and it can be managed by the general practitioner. Home-exercises regime protocols are reviewed in this article in the context of the biopsychosocial approach. The actual evidence for the efficacy of home physical exercises is weak because of the very limited number of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) available in literature. Therefore, there is a need for further well-designed studies and RCTs to investigate the therapeutic efficacy. Recent reports and clinical experience, however, suggest that this approach can be promising, particularly if it is tailored towards the individual patient. The favourable cost benefit ratio over other treatment modalities seems to indicate that physiotherapy can be regarded as a first choice approach in selected TMD patients.