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This study determined the efficiency of aerobic exercise compared to other treatments in alleviating pain and disability in orofacial pain-affected people.
Aerobic exercise (such as cycling, running, and walking) combined with manual therapy and general exercises is useful to improve pain and quality of life for orofacial pain patients in the short to medium term.
A comprehensive electronic search was performed across five databases (Cochrane Library, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or controlled trials involving adults of both sexes with painful orofacial pain diagnoses were incorporated. The intervention of focus was aerobic exercise (such as cycling, running, and walking), compared to various conservative and non-conservative therapies. In this systematic review, pain intensity was the key outcome ascertained. The risk of bias was assessed via a compiled set of criteria and the Cochrane RoB-2 tools. Using the GRADE method, the overall certainty of evidence was examined.
Of the 4,669 records screened, 4 manuscripts were included, with 3 using the same population but reporting different outcomes. These studies involved individuals with headache associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and general TMD, with aerobic exercise as the intervention and manual therapy plus exercise (strengthening or general exercises) as the comparison.
Aerobic exercise + manual therapy + strengthening exercise showed superior results in alleviating pain intensity (both orofacial pain and headache intensity) when compared to manual therapy + exercise, with a mean difference (MD) of -8.65 points at the end of treatment and -9.43 points at 12-week follow-up. Additionally, the aerobic exercise + manual therapy + exercise combination markedly boosted quality of life over aerobic exercise alone (MD: -14.60 points) and manual therapy + exercise (MD: -12.30 points).
Aerobic exercise combined with manual therapy and general exercises showed the most significant improvements in pain and other outcomes for orofacial pain patients in the short/medium term. However, evidence supporting the standalone effects of aerobic exercise on orofacial pain is limited, highlighting the need for further research to establish guidelines for its use.
Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
The effectiveness of aerobic exercise compared to other types of treatment on pain and disability in patients with orofacial pain: A systematic review
Ana Lzabela Sobral de Oliveira-Souza et al.
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