TMJ Pain And Chiropractic Relief
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ), is the inflammation of the temporomandibular joint—the area where your jaw attaches to both sides of your skull at the base of your ears.
TMJ pain can be caused by a variety of factors which may lead to occasional pain or ongoing, chronic pain. For some patients, this disorder can also be degenerative.
Not only does TMJ affect the jaw, it can also affect the surrounding tissues and nerves as well resulting in jaw pain, facial pain, headaches, migraines, ear pain, difficulty biting or chewing, popping and clicking noises, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, dizziness, reduced jaw movement, and pain in the shoulders and neck.
How Do We Treat TMJ Pain In Our Patients?
Conventional management for TMJ includes anti-inflammatory medication, soft diet, warm and cold packs, dental treatments, and sometimes surgery.
Chiropractic care is an alternative management for TMJ that helps you avoid invasive procedures such as surgery. Chiropractic care for TMJ focuses on tension relief in the muscles around the temporomandibular joint, which is usually the main cause of pain.
Trigger point therapy and massage works inside and outside the mouth to relieve pain and restore joint function. Chiropractors manipulate these trigger points to alleviate pain.
The Trigger Points For TMJ Include:
Sternocleidomastoid Muscle – located on the lateral portion of the neck. Manipulation of this area reduces pain in the jaw, forehead and eye sockets.
Current chiropractic lower back pain
Trapezius Muscle – located at the back base of the neck and is essential for relieving pain at the ear, jawbone, and temple.
Current chiropractic lower back pain
Medial Pterygoid Muscle – located at the back of the molars. This trigger point affects the pain in the temporomandibular joint, nose, ear, jaw, and neck.
Current chiropractic lower back pain
Masseter Muscle – located at the back of the jaw. Manipulation of this muscle relieves pain in the ear, upper jaw, and forehead.
Chiropractic management of TMJ also involves manipulation of the jaw through stretching the joint to release fibrous connections caused by trauma. The patient may also be given specific exercises to enhance flexibility of the tissues in the TMJ.
Chiropractic care is a complementary and alternative medicinal technique to help patients with TMJ get relief from their symptoms without undergoing invasive therapies. If you would like to discuss your options, book your appointment with our Current Chiropractic doctors or give our office a call.