Objective: To compare the immediate effect between the multiplane force application (MFA) and ischemic compression (IC) techniques on pain alteration and the activity of masticatory muscles.

Materials and Methods: Eighty-six participants who had latent myofascial trigger points (LTrPs) in either masseter or temporalis muscle, from 18-60 years of age, were recruited into this study. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups. Group I (n=43) received the MFA technique, whereas group II (n=43) received the IC technique. In each group, the muscles with LTrPs were treated for 30 min. Outcome measures including pressure pain threshold (PPT) and resting muscle activity were assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Significant differences of selected outcomes within groups were analyzed by paired t-test. To compare the differences between groups, an independent t-test was used.

Results: PPT of masseter and anterior temporalis muscles were increased and the resting muscle activity was reduced significantly at the post-treatment period (p<0.001) in both IC and MFA groups. There was no significant difference in changes in PPTs and resting EMG between both techniques (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The two methods have similar efficiency for increasing PPT and reducing resting activity of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles.