Why is the stretch treatment of jaw muscles effective against chronic pain?

本研究的目的在于阐明包括牵拉治疗在内的治疗性运动的愈合机制，并研制一种用于治疗性运动的离心运动负荷装置。提示实验性长时间低水平咬紧下颌降低痛敏感性，咬紧下颌的作用影响远区痛敏感性。通过加速体积描记术测量由口内刺激引起的自主神经活动的变化。并对肌肉硬度计在口腔颌面部的应用进行了评价。本研究结果有助于阐明慢性颜面部疼痛的病理机制和发展诊断及治疗方法。

The purposes of this research were to clarify the healing mechanism of therapeutic exercise including the stretch treatment, and to develop a load device of eccentric exercise to use therapeutic exercise. It is suggested that experimental prolonged low-level jaw-clenching reduces the pain sensitivity, and the effect of the clenching influences the pain sensitivity of remote regions. Changes of autonomic nervous activity induced by an intra-oral stimulation were measured by accelerated plethysmography. The utility of the muscle hardness meter for orofacial region was also evaluated. The results of the present research are considered to contribute to clarify pathology of chronic orpfacial pain and to develop the method of diagnosis and treatment.