Effect of indomethacin phonophoresis on the relief of temporomandibular joint pain

Abstract

The pain-relieving effect of indomethacin phonophoresis on temporomandibular (TMJ) joint pain was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Twenty subjects, who have TMJ pain, were included for this study and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 10) or the control group (n = 10). Each treatment consisted of the application of ultrasound massage (1.0 MHz, 0.8 to 1.5 W/cm2 continuous output) for 15 minutes to the painful temporomandibular joint. As a conducting medium, 1% indomethacin cream was used for the experimental group and placebo cream for the control group respectively. Pre- and post-treatment pain levels and pain sensitivity were assessed with visual analogue scales (VAS) and pressure pain threshold (PPT). Mean data indicated that post-treatment VAS was significantly decreased and post-treatment PPT was significantly increased in the experimental group, not in the control group. The results of this study suggest that indomethacin phonophoresis provides significant pain relieving effect over the TMJ pain.