title: Does induced masseter muscle pain affect integrated jaw-neck movements similarly in men and women?
abstract: Normal jaw opening-closing involves simultaneous jaw and head-neck movements. We previously showed that, in men, integrated jaw-neck movements during jaw function are altered by induced masseter muscle pain. The aim of this study was to investigate possible sex-related differences in integrated jaw-neck movements following experimental masseter muscle pain. We evaluated head-neck and jaw movements in 22 healthy women and 16 healthy men in a jaw opening-closing task. The participants performed one control trial and one trial with masseter muscle pain induced by injection of hypertonic saline. Jaw and head movements were registered using a three-dimensional optoelectronic recording system. There were no significant sex-related differences in jaw and head movement amplitudes. Head movement amplitudes were significantly greater in the pain trials for both men and women. The proportional involvement of the neck motor system during jaw movements increased in pain trials for 13 of 16 men and for 18 of 22 women. Thus, acute pain may alter integrated jaw-neck movements, although, given the similarities between men and women, this interaction between acute pain and motor behaviour does not explain sex differences in musculoskeletal pain in the jaw and neck regions.
authors: Department of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.|Department of Research and Development, Umeå University, Sundsvall, Sweden.
authors: Birgitta
authors: B
authors: Wiesinger
authors: Department of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.|Department of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors: Birgitta
authors: B
authors: Häggman-Henrikson
authors: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Fredrik
authors: F
authors: Hellström
authors: Department of Research and Development, Umeå University, Sundsvall, Sweden.
authors: Erling
authors: E
authors: Englund
authors: Department of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Wänman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D009333:Neck; D010146:Pain
keywords: head movements; jaw; masseter muscle; neck; pain