The use of surface electromyography as a tool in differentiating temporomandibular disorders from neck disorders

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The use of surface electromyography as a tool in differentiating temporomandibular disorders from neck disorders
Manual Therapy
Volume 12, Issue 4, November 2007, Pages 372-379

Virgilio F. Ferrario, Gianluca M. Tartaglia, Francesca E. Luraghi and Chiarella Sforza, Dipartimento di Morfologia Umana, Via Mangiagalli 31, I-20133 Milano, Italy

Received 4 July 2005; revised 6 March 2006; accepted 3 July 2006. Available online 14 September 2006.

The aim of this study was to assess the electromyographic characteristics of the masticatory muscles (masseter and temporalis) of patients with either Ïtemporomandibular joint disorderÓ or Ïneck painÓ. Surface electromyography of the right and left masseter and temporalis muscles was performed during maximum teeth clenching in 38 patients aged 21Ò67 years who had either (a) temporomandibular joint disorder (24 patients); (b) Ïneck painÓ (13 patients). Ninety-five control, healthy subjects were also examined. During clenching, standardized total muscle activities (electromyographic potentials over time) were significantly different in the three groups: 75 μV/μV s % in the temporomandibular joint disorder patients, 124 μV/μV s % in the neck pain patients, and 95 μV/μV s % in the control subjects (analysis of variance, P<0.001). The temporomandibular joint disorder patients also had significantly (P<0.001) more asymmetric muscle potentials (78%) than either neck pain patients (87%) or control subjects (92%). A linear discriminant function analysis allowed a significant separation between the two patient groups, with a single patient error of 18.2%. Surface electromyographic analysis during clenching allowed to differentiate between patients with a temporomandibular joint disorder and patients with a neck pain problem.

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