Physiotherapy for Chronic Headache in People With Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who see adults with persistent headache, jaw pain, or neck-related orofacial complaints, and who want a clear summary of what the randomized evidence for temporomandibular physiotherapy currently supports.

Licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient orthopedic, orofacial pain, headache, and multidisciplinary chronic pain settings. Content is also relevant to clinicians who collaborate with dentists, neurologists, and pain specialists in the care of patients carrying both diagnoses.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Intermediate

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

Quilghini C, Lefflot J, Buchholtz K. The effectiveness of physiotherapy for chronic headaches in patients with temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Front Rehabil Sci. 2025;6:1647927. doi:10.3389/fresc.2025.1647927. PMID: 41064810; PMCID: PMC12500710.

This course reports the content of the source review above. All findings, cautions, and recommendations described are those of the review authors.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the population, the interventions, and the comparisons covered by this systematic review of temporomandibular physiotherapy for chronic headache.
2. State what the included randomized trials reported about headache intensity, headache impact, and related jaw and neck outcomes, and how consistent those reports were.
3. Explain the limitations the authors identified — varied treatment protocols, mixed risk of bias, unclear reporting of home programs, and the reason no pooled analysis was performed.

1. Start Here: What This Course Covers and How to Complete It
2. Podcast Lesson: Jaw-Directed Physiotherapy and Chronic Headache (about nine minutes)
3. Chronic Headache and Temporomandibular Disorders: The Overlap the Review Set Out to Examine
4. How the Review Was Built: Searching, Screening, and Appraising the Trials
5. What the Trials Reported: Headache Intensity, Headache Impact, and Jaw Function
6. Where the Evidence Is Shaky: Risk of Bias, Varied Protocols, and No Pooled Analysis
7. What the Authors Say It Could Mean for Clinical Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-test and evaluation — five multiple-choice questions confirming you worked through the material, then a short course evaluation. Both are required.

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. Quilghini C, Lefflot J, Buchholtz K. The effectiveness of physiotherapy for chronic headaches in patients with temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Front Rehabil Sci. 2025;6:1647927. doi:10.3389/fresc.2025.1647927. PMID: 41064810; PMCID: PMC12500710.
2. This course reports the content of the source review above. All findings, cautions, and recommendations described are those of the review authors.