The decreases in VAS and RMDQ scores were calculated by subtracting the end value from the initial value, expressed as a percentage. Anova for repeated measurements was used to determine the effects among the treatment groups by comparing their mean values. To compare frequencies between groups, Student’s t test was used with a significance level of 5%. The decreases in VAS in groups 1 and 2 following each session and the PPI, NWC and PRI indexes before and after the treatment in groups 1, 2 and 3 were investigated using Anova for repeated measurements, and the means for the groups were also compared using Duncan’s test.
For the pain intensity variable alone, examined using VAS, the statistical analysis was performed with all the patients selected at random according to intention to treat. For this, all the patients included in the study were taken into consideration. For this purpose, the reasons for giving up the treatment were investigated. The patients were classified as with pain or without pain, independent of their pain intensity. The signal hypothesis test and Wilcoxon test were then applied to investigate whether there were any changes in pain levels in each patient group.
The consumption of medications was analyzed by means of simple frequency tables. The McNemar test was applied to investigate whether there was any association between the use of medicine and the treatment. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesic drugs was analyzed by means of simple frequency tables, with double data entry.