[Objective]Acupuncture has been reported to be useful for temporomandibular disorders. There have been many reports on muscle problems in temporomandibular disorders (TMD) but only a few reports on disc problems. We report on the use of acupuncture in a temporomandibular disorder patient with disc disorders.
[Case]A 19-year-old female complained of pain upon opening her mouth and trismus. We applied acupuncture with the aim of resolving the disc problems and providing analgesia by a contributing muscle needling approach.
[Methods]The following were measured:intensity of jaw pain, anxiety and satisfaction (visual analogue scale:VAS), position and form of disc and caput mandibulae (MRI) and presence of jaw deviation.
[Results]The following were improved after acupuncture treatments:intensity of jaw pain, anxiety and satisfaction, limitation of jaw movement and jaw deviation. However, the positions of the discs did not change.
[Conclusion]These results suggest that acupuncture may be effective for temporomandibular disorder patients with disc disorders.