Fujii, Y. (2021) Dental Treatment for Low Back and Hip Pain in a Long-Distance Runner: A Case Report. Advances in Physical Education, 11, 135-140. doi: 10.4236/ape.2021.111010.
Occlusion and mandibular positions substantially affect full-body functioning and performance in sports. This report illustrates the case of a 27-year-old female long-distance runner who had intermittent lower back and hip pain. Since her bilateral maxillary first molars were missing, small partial dentures were placed in the position of those missing molars in order to improve occlusion. Even right after the right-side denture was placed, her performance on the straight leg raising test and the strength of the iliopsoas muscle in the supine position improved. Her performance improved further after the left-side denture was placed. This report shows that occlusal restoration causes a definite improvement in body function, even in cases of small missing teeth.
