20.500.12556/DiRROS-21146 Acute myotonometric changes in the masseter and upper trapezius muscles after upper body quarter stretching and coordination exercises or chewing Pathologies in neck and masticatory muscles affect muscle tone and biomechanical and viscoelastic properties, necessitating precise assessment for treatment. This study evaluated the impact of two guided interventions—relaxing exercises targeting the neck and masticatory muscles (“Exercise”) and heavy chewing using six chewing gums (“Chewing”)—on the masseter and upper trapezius muscles. Twelve participants (aged 19–40 years) underwent myotonometric assessment pre- and post-intervention, measuring tone, stiffness, decrement, relaxation time, and creep. The results showed significant changes in the masseter muscle after exercise, with increased stiffness (14.46%, p < 0.001) and tone (7.03%, p < 0.001) but decreased creep (−9.71%, p < 0.001) and relaxation time (−11.36%, p < 0.001). Conversely, chewing decreased stiffness (−8.82%, p < 0.001) and tone (−5.53%, p < 0.001), while it increased creep (9.68%, p < 0.001) and relaxation time (9.98%, p < 0.001). In the trapezius muscles, tone decreased after both interventions (Exercise: −7.65%, p < 0.001; Chewing: −1.06%, p = 0.003), while relaxation increased (Exercise: 1.78%, p < 0.001; Chewing: 2.82%, p < 0.001). These findings reveal the distinct effects of exercise and chewing on muscle properties, emphasising the complexity of their therapeutic potential and the need for further investigation. muscle tonus relaxation masseter muscle trapezius muscle intervention studies mišični tonus mišica trapezius intervencijske študije sproščanje mišica masseter true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2025 by the authors Neznano 2025-01-07 13:36:13 2025-01-07 13:36:13 2025-01-08 03:36:46 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 7. 1. 2025; str. [1]-16 issue 1, [article no.] 344 Vol. 15 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2024-12-28 2024-12-29 2025-01-01 616.8 2076-3417 10.3390/app15010344 221205507 25_01_07_101_Kalc_221205507.pdf 25_01_07_101_Kalc_221205507.pdf 1 F947D4BF63F055F742AE66484B6B0800 16dfbd613bfbe85e404ac81776b3c922afd3b64b91fc61d6e2e5bcf64f34d666 2f3ee9e5-ccf4-11ef-ba3f-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=29991 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/344 1 fbf1c117-ccf3-11ef-ba3f-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=29990 Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče Koper / Centro di Ricerche Scientifiche Capodistria 0 0 0