TheraBite Catalog 7827US_200511.indd - Stratmed.co.za

Treatment ProgramTreatmentPrior to using the Therabite system, eachpatient should consult his/her clinician, who willprescribe an individualized program of exercisetailored to the patient’s unique needs andabilities.A commonly used treatment program is 7-7-7:7 stretches performed 7 times per day, eachstretch held for 7 seconds. In total, this is aninvestment of less than ten minutes a day.Individuals who suffer from muscle and/or jointpain may benefit from longer stretch exercises.An example of a treatment program with longerstretches is 5-5-30: 5 stretches performed 5times per day or more, each stretch held for 30seconds.Regular monitoring, review, and evaluation bya properly trained clinician is essential for alltreatment programs. Depending on a patient’scondition and the judgment of his/her clinician,the type of program required may be modifiedover time.Expected Treatment outcomes:1 – 1.5 mm per weekA typical patient will gain from 1-4 mm of jawopening ability in the first session; however, thisgain is likely to be lost within the next few hours.Only by continuing to stretch and mobilize thejaw for several sessions per day can any lastingbenefit be achieved.Increased pain during the exercises should beavoided, as it can result in muscle guarding thatmay impair the effectiveness of the therapy andreduce compliance.The average sustainable gain is around1 – 1.5 mm per week. Thus, to achieve 10 mm ofsustainable gain, a patient may need to exercisefrom six to ten weeks.The number of daily exercise sessions with theTheraBite system typically decreases over time.Ultimately, many patients are usually able tomaintain the gain they have achieved by usingthe device just once or twice a day.12