Preliminary Application of Kinesio Taping in Rehabilitation Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders

 Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a frequently occurring and common oral and maxillofacial disease with relevant clinical issues (such as pain, clicking sound, and difficulty in opening the mouth). Kinesio taping (KT) is a typical soft tissue taping technique that plays a role in relieving pain, relaxing muscles, and increasing proprioception.

 The study aimed to investigate the function of the KT technique in the rehabilitation of TMD.

 In this prospective study, 60 TMD patients (group I disorders, muscle disorders) were recruited from the outpatients of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Shanghai First People’s Hospital, China, between June 2016 and September 2016 based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. They were randomly divided into the control, short wave, and taping groups using a random number table, with 20 cases in each group. Different rehabilitation methods were applied according to the grouping. The course of treatment was six days. The estimations of the Fricton craniomandibular index (CMI), Self-Rating Anxiety scale (SAS), and Self-Rating Depression scale (SDS) were conducted in pretherapy and post-treatment by a physician who was blinded to the patients’ groups.

 No significant differences were observed between patients in the three groups (P > 0.05) in pretherapy in the temporomandibular joint dysfunction index (DI), muscle palpation index (PI), CMI, SAS, and SDS. In post-treatment, the CMI in the short wave and taping groups was significantly improved compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The SAS in the taping group improved significantly compared to the control and short wave groups (P < 0.05). The SDS in the short wave group improved significantly compared to the control and taping groups (P < 0.05).

 Taken together, KT effectively improved the dysfunction and mood of TMD patients with the group I disorders, thereby necessitating further investigation for widespread application.