Improvement in myofascial pain and headaches following TMJ surgery

Fifty patients diagnosed with TMJ internal derangement, myalgia, and headaches, who had not responded well to nonsurgical management and subsequently underwent TMJ surgery, were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were mailed a survey asking them to evaluate the following symptoms: joint pain, joint noise, facial muscle pain, cervical and shoulder muscle pain, headache frequency and intensity, and overall head and neck pain. The majority of patients reported their symptoms as moderate to severe prior to treatment. In addition to reporting decreases in TMJ pain and noise after surgery, the majority of patients responding also reported decreases in myalgia and headaches. Twenty-two patients managed nonsurgically at the same center were also surveyed. The proportion of patients reporting their symptoms as moderate to severe prior to treatment was lower in this group. Patients reporting decreases in myalgia and headaches were in the minority. The study demonstrates that myalgia and headache symptoms associated with TMJ dysfunction that are poorly responsive to nonsurgical management may improve following TMJ surgery.