Relationship between trunk flexion and stretching of the masticatory musculature. Pilot study.

Identifier:  TFG:1802

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG1802

Authors:  Menés Fernández, Laura

Abstract:
Introduction: The objective of the present study is to analyze the relationship between trunk flexion and mouth opening to see if an improvement of this flexion is obtained according to the ““sit and reach”” test. Material and methods: A double-blind clinical trial with 60 participants randomly divided into two groups of 30 people each (Treatment group and Control group). To all of them, basal measurements of the mouth opening were taken with a digital caliper and the trunk flexion was measured by the “sit and reach” test. These measurements were repeated after the intervention, which consisted of a self-stretching of the masticatory muscles for the Treatment group and a mouth occlusion for the Control group. Results: There was an increase in trunk flexion compared to the initial values in all groups (Treatment group 2.9 (1.51), Control group 1.97 (2.31). This increase was bigger in the Treatment group but the difference with the Control group was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Stretching of the masticatory muscles does not cause an immediate increase in the degrees of trunk flexion measured with the sit and reach test.