Research Finds TMJ Related to Hip Pain

By Laura Sos-now-ski

Massage therapists know that a client's pain is often related to distant areas of the body. A new study shows that function of the temporomandibular joint affects hip pain.

"Influence of the temporomandibular joint on range of motion of the hip joint in patients with complex regional pain syndrome" was conducted by researchers at Hanover Medical School in Hanover, Germany.

This study evaluated if patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) would have an increase in range of motion (ROM) after myofascial release and a similar ROM decrease after jaw clenching, whereas in healthy subjects these effects would be minimal or nonexistent.

Two groups were tested: patients with CRPS and a control group. Hip ROM (alpha angle) was measured at three time points as follows: baseline, after myofascial release of the tm joint and after jaw clenching for 90 seconds.

Comparison of the CRPS and control groups was made using t tests. Total score and pain reported for the last four weeks were significantly different between the two groups. This is according to information published on www.PubMed.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

"The results suggest that temporomandibular joint dysfunction plays an important role in the restriction of hip motion experienced by patients with CRPS, which indicated a connectedness between these 2 regions of the body," the researchers noted.