Dr. Adams' Alabama Headache Blog

Rocobado and Kraus have proposed exercises to relieve muscle tension pain related to TMD and craniocervical dysfunction. The Profile Toner (Tasmark, Inc. N. Easton, MA) is an ective resisted motion device originally designed for toning muscles of the neck to elimanated double chin. It is a polyurethane foam ball 5 inches in diameter. The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effect of active resisted motion exercise of the cervical flexors on pain reported in 10 body sites and neck mobility. Thirty female TMD patients (mean age 35.6 yr., range 24-48) were selected in order of appearance for treatment at a TMD center. They were assigned at random to either Experimental (E) or Control (C) groups of 15 each. For 8 weeks E subjects performed flexing exercises, bending the neck so as to compress the ball between the chin and chest (as a nut cracker) and a second set opening the mandible pushed into the ball. C subjects performed the same number of exercises compressing the ball at the elbow joint. Pain levels were recorded on 10, 10 point visual analogue scales pre and post experimentally. Rotation, bending and flexion were recorded on a protractor. The pain points of both groups pre-experimentally did not differ but the mean reduction of the E group (14.3,43.7%) was significantly greater than that of the C group (2.6, 10%), t=3.9. TMJ pain reduction tended toward significance for the E group (p=0.058) as did headache (p=0.07) and face pain (p=0.08). Neck pain reduced significantly for the E group. A significant increase in right and left bending of the neck (7.0 degrees vs 0.28 degrees and 7.5 degrees vs 0.9 degrees) as well as flexion (3.7 degrees vs -2.6 degrees0 occured in the E group. Neck exercises may be an effective adjunct to the MPD treatment, reducing pain and increasing mobility of the neck.