Alleviation of myofascial pain with ultrasonic therapy.

In recent years ultrasound has been used extensively in physical medicine with considerable success. Its use has not been advocated extensively, however, for MPDS. This article summarized the basic concepts of ultrasound and evaluated its effectiveness in the treatment of 28 patients with MPDS. In conclusion, it appears that therapeutic ultrasound can be used effectively to alleviate discomfort of MPDS that does not respond to occlusal splint therapy. Ultrasound is most successful in alleviating muscle symptoms and least effective in reducing symptoms associated with the disk. Age was not a significant factor in the efficacy of ultrasound.