Effect of Nursing Psychological Support and Teaching Physiotherapy Guideline on Improving Pain Level for Patients with Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Abstract

Stress and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are often linked to each other. The symptoms of stress manifest in physical ways, often leading to a TMJ disorders and can cause jaw tension or pain. Physiotherapy treatment is very effective in relieving and managing temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs), even when the symptoms are long-standing and severe. Aim: To evaluate the effect of nursing psychological support and teaching physiotherapy guideline on improving pain level for patients with TMJDs. Research design: Pre/post-test research design was utilized on 50 adult patients with TMJDs. Setting: The study was conducted in the maxillofacial surgery outpatient clinic at Assiut University Hospital. Tools: Three tools were used, I) Structured questionnaire, II) psychological state assessment and III) universal pain assessment. Results: About half of the study group their age range between 18-29 years old, with mean of (29.12±9.82) and about three quarter were females. There were statistically significant differences for the study group as regard psychological state and universal pain assessment. Conclusion: It was concluded that nursing psychological support and teaching physiotherapy are an important factors in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders. Recommendations: A written teaching guideline should be available for patients in simplified term and containing simple pictures.