Abstract
A 33-year-old woman presented with left jaw pain and was diagnosed as having a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. She was initially treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and an oral orthopedic appliance. However, the pain in the left jaw persisted. Further examination revealed the presence of a trigger point in the ipsilateral trapezius muscle. The jaw pain relieved after a trigger point injection with 1ml of 1% procaine into the muscle as a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. It is suggested that trigger point injection may be effective in the differential diagnosis of facial myofascial and TMJ pain.
