Neck and jaw therapies may ease facial pain; mouth opening benefits remain uncertain
The review reported pain and tenderness improvements, but most studies had high risk of bias. Maximum mouth opening showed no statistically significant result.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Hands-on treatment, either alone or combined with exercise, showed potential for easing pain when directed at the neck or both the neck and jaw. Treatments addressing both regions also improved tenderness. However, most studies had high risk of bias, and the review found no statistically significant result for maximum mouth opening.
Most included studies had high risk of bias. The abstract does not provide effect estimates, control treatments, follow-up periods, or certainty ratings, limiting assessment of benefit size and how reliably it was measured.
What researchers found
Maximum mouth opening
Comparator treatments and assessment timeframe were not reported. The review's nonsignificant result does not establish no effect or equivalence.
Different outcomes answered different questions
The review assessed pain intensity, how far the mouth could open, and tenderness measured by the pressure needed to provoke pain. Improvement in pain or tenderness therefore does not automatically imply improvement in mouth opening.
Treatment combinations matter
The reported benefits involved manual therapy alone or manual therapy paired with exercise. The abstract does not establish the independent effect of exercise, or show that treating both regions is superior to treating the neck alone.
The original publication
Manual therapy and exercise targeted to the neck and orofacial regions for patients with orofacial pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Pelai EB, de Castro-Carletti EM, Tavares LF et al.
Disabil Rehabil · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40928393
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.