BACKGROUND Although it is common clinical practice to treat children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) with functional appliances, the scientific evidence for this is limited. The aim of this study was to study the histologic effects of mandibular protrusion splints in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis in rabbits. METHODS Twenty-eight ten-week old New Zealand white rabbits were r...

QUESTION Do dynamic splints reduce contracture following distal radial fracture? DESIGN Assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS Forty outpatients with contracture following distal radial fracture. INTERVENTION The control group received routine care consisting of exercises and advice for 8 weeks. In addition to routine care, during the day the experimental group receiv...

The existence of symptoms of craniomandibular dysfunc­ tion (CMD), especially in muscles and TMJ often prevents basic functions of the orofacial system. In addition to the present pain (arthralgia and myalgia), one of the most common signs of CMD is restriction of mandibular move­ ments and inability to achieve the central mandibular posi­ tion spontaneously. Such conditions can be very persist...

BACKGROUND Fractures of femur are among the most important causes of mortality in musculoskeletal injuries. Owning to lack of adequate research to compare various techniques of fracture stabilization, there has not yet been an agreement over a protocol to utilize a specific type of splint for femoral fracture immobilization. This study was thus conducted to compare the effects of simple and tra...

OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of conservative therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome. DATA SOURCES A computer-aided search of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Collaboration was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from January 1985 to May 2006. REVIEW METHODS RCTs were included if: (1) the patients, with clinically and electrophysiologically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome, had not...