Investigation of the effect of neck pain accompanying chronic temporomandibular joint pain on pain severity and pain catastrophizing

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of accompanying neck pain on pain intensity and pain catastrophizing in individuals with chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: Twenty-two individuals diagnosed with chronic TMD participated in this comparative study. Participants were allocated into two groups: a TMD-only group (n=12) and a TMD with neck pain group (n=10). Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and pain catastrophizing was assessed using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test, and statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between groups regarding pain intensity or pain catastrophizing (p>0.05). Participants with accompanying neck pain demonstrated higher median scores for activity-related pain and pain catastrophizing; however, these differences did not reach statistical significance. In addition, mandibular deviation was significantly more frequent in the TMD with neck pain group (p=0.036). Conclusion: Although individuals with chronic TMD and accompanying neck pain tended to report higher pain intensity and pain catastrophizing scores, no statistically significant differences were observed between groups. These findings suggest that cervical symptoms may influence the clinical presentation of TMD, and further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to clarify these relationships.