Open Access<p>Anatomical Study of the Innervation of the Masseter Muscle and Its Correlation with Myofascial Trigger Points</p>
Author(s) -
Roberto Procópio Pinheiro,
Matheus Aquesta Gaubeur,
Ana María Itezerote,
Samir Saleh,
Flávio Hojaij,
Mauro Andrade,
Alfredo Luiz Jácomo,
Flávia Emi Akamatsu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of pain research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 49
ISSN - 1178-7090
DOI - 10.2147/jpr.s265717
Subject(s) - medicine , masseter muscle , anatomy , myofascial pain syndrome , myofascial release , masticatory force , cadaver , gross anatomy , myofascial pain , dry needling , population , physical therapy , orthodontics , acupuncture , pathology , alternative medicine , environmental health
Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is widely prevalent in the general population; some reports estimate its prevalence ranges from 9 to 85%. Among the different locations where MPS may arise, pain related to the masseter muscle is referred as masticatory myofascial pain. MPS is characterized by myofascial trigger points (MTPs), which represent tender anatomical areas of a muscle where painful symptoms are elicited whenever stimulated. Previous publications have found MTPs to coincide with neuromuscular junctions at the motor end plate, at the innervation zone (IZ). Our study aimed to describe the innervation of the masseter muscle and relate it to clinically described myofascial trigger points (MTPs).