Treatment of condylar osteophyte in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis with muscle balance occlusal splint and long-term follow-up:A case report

BACKGROUND Condylar osteophytes,a remodeling form of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis(TMJ OA),mainly manifest as marginal angular outgrowths of the condyle.Previous researchers have advocated surgical removal of condylar osteophytes.Reports on the effect of occlusal splint on TMJ OA patients’joints have mostly focused on treatment with this splint,which can reduce the absorption of the affected condyle and promote repair and regeneration.However,the effect of the splint on the dissolution of condylar osteophytes has not yet been reported.CASE SUMMARY A 68-year-old female patient suffered from occlusal discomfort with left facial pain for 2 years.Cone beam computed tomography showed a rare osteophyte on top of her left condyle.She was finally diagnosed with TMJ OA.The patient refused surgical treatment and received conservative treatment with a muscle balance occlusal splint.The pain experienced by the patient on the left side of her face was relieved,and her chewing ability recovered after treatment.The osteophyte dissolved,and the condylar cortex remained stable during long-term follow-up observations.CONCLUSION The muscle balance occlusal splint could be a noninvasive means of treating condylar osteophytes in TMJ OA patients.

The Use of Far Infrared Treatment Prior to Exercise in Horses: An mfBIA and Acoustic Myography Three Case Study

Background: Acute effects of Far Infrared (FIR) treatment in horses are unknown, especially short periods of 30 minutes, as is any effect on such muscle parameters as warm-up balance, overall exercise balance and laterality asymmetries. Aim: This study examines three equine cases in detail to measure any effects of a short period of FIR treatment. Methods: Multi-frequency bioimpedance (mfBIA) and acoustic myography (AMG), non-invasive techniques, were applied pre- and post-treatment with FIR to the back (T5-L4/5) and for m.Longissimus dorsi and m.Gluteus medius was recorded during a 15-minute warm-up regimen. mfBIA parameters included extracellular resistance (Re), centre frequency (fc), membrane capacitance (Mc), intracellular resistance (Ri) and phase angle (PA) which indicates level of training and health status. Results: FIR treatment responses for mfBIA parameters were found to be horse-specific and different, whilst in terms of AMG, FIR treatment for 30 minutes had a beneficial effect on overall balance in all three horses (5 out of 6 muscles), and a beneficial effect on the AMG parameter ST (force symmetry) in all three horses (6 out of 6 muscles). An overall improvement for combined balance and ST values for both muscles and all three horses of 86% was noted with FIR treatment, compared to 56% without. Conclusions: This preliminary study of FIR treatment in three horses, has been found to result in an overall improvement in combined balance and ST values for both muscles. FIR has potential as a promising treatment to reduce the risk of warm-up-related injuries in athletic horses.