Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics
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J Manipulative Physiol Ther · Nov 2012
Myofascial trigger points in the masticatory muscles in patients with and without chronic mechanical neck pain.
The purpose of this study is to describe differences in the presence of masseter and temporalis muscle trigger points (TrPs) and jaw opening between individuals with mechanical neck pain and healthy controls. ⋯ For the subjects in this study, those with mechanical chronic neck pain had more latent TrPs in the masticatory muscles and reduced jaw opening compared to healthy controls. These findings may suggest the spread of sensitization from the cervical segment to the trigeminal brain stem sensory nuclear complex.