The influence of myofascial temporomandibular disorder pain on the pressure pain threshold of women during a migraine attack.

AIMS: To assess the influence of myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain on the pressure pain threshold (PPT) of masticatory muscles in women during a migraine attack.

METHODS: The sample comprised 34 women, 18 to 60 years of age, with a diagnosis of episodic migraine previously confirmed by a neurologist. All subjects were evaluated using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) to determine the presence of myofascial pain. They were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 18) included women with migraine; group 2 (n = 16) included women with migraine and myofascial TMD pain. Participants were evaluated by measuring PPT values of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles and Achilles tendon with a pressure algometer at two moments: pain free and during a migraine attack. A three-way analysis of variance with a 5% significance level was used for statistical purposes.

RESULTS: Significantly lower PPT values were found during the migraine attack, especially for women with concomitant myofascial pain, regardless of the side of the reported pain.

CONCLUSION: Migraine attack is associated with a significant reduction in PPT values of masticatory muscles, which appears to be influenced by the presence of myofascial TMD pain.