Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders include arthrogenic disorders, disc dislocation and myogenic disorders around the temporomandibular joint, masticatory muscles, and associated tissues. The prevalence of temporomandibular disorders is between 5% and 12%. Most common symptoms of disorders are pain and limited joint movement. Manual therapy techniques are often used for treatment of temporomandibular disorders, most commonly joint manipulation and mobilization, soft tissue mobilization or myofascial trigger point therapy. Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to analyse published scientific evidence on the effects of manual therapy on pain and limited joint movement in patients with temporomandibular disorders. Methods: The literature search was conducted in the PubMed and PEDro databases using key search combinations of phrases in English: temporomandibular joint OR temporomandibular disorder AND manual therapy. We used the time frame from 2012 to 2022. Articles were evaluated according to the PEDro scale. Results: Six randomized control trials were included in the literature review. In all the studies, manual techniques were performed on the temporomandibular joint and associated muscles, but different techniques were used. Soft tissue mobilization was performed in four studies, joint mobilization in two studies, joint manipulation in one study, and myofascial trigger point therapy in two studies. In four studies, manual therapy had a significant effect on reducing pain and increasing the range of motion of jaw depression. Discussion and conclusion: This literature review showed that manual therapy is one of the effective and conservative options for reducing pain and improving joint mobility of temporomandibular joint, thus an important part of a multidisciplinary approach for treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Positive effects of manual therapy are maintained in combination with therapeutic exercises and education. Further research is needed to determine an effective treatment protocol.
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