Good news is you can manage and get relief without resorting to expensive mouth pieces or surgery.
Temporomandibular disorder (TMD), is a term that describes an entire group of disorders involving the temporomandibular joint or joints (TMJ).
The TMJs are the jaw joints. There is one on each side of your head just in front of your ear canals. Like many other joints in the body, they consist of:
- Muscles that control joint movement
- Ligaments that hold the bones together
- Cartilage that provides a smooth surface for the bones to move on
- A disc that helps with proper movement of the joints
- Elastic tissue that helps hold the disc in place
One or more of the above tissues can cause symptoms. In fact, studies suggest that one third of the population at any one-time experiences TMJ symptoms such as pain with chewing, yawning, or jaw opening. Women seem to have TMJ problems much more often than men. There are a variety of temporomandibular disorders. The muscles (myogenous), joints (arthrogenous), or a combination of the two may cause pain. Try home remedies like an ice pack or if teeth grinding is an issue, try a mouth guard at night while you sleep.
Since physical therapists treat muscle and joint problems, they are ideally suited to address a TMD. A majority of patients diagnosed with TMD also have associated neck pain and headaches. Both respond well to treatment provided by a physical therapist. No other healthcare practitioner is better suited to address both TMD, neck pain and headaches.
Dry needling and other techniques are a great option to treat TMD.
TMD may appear to be a complex condition and it shouldn’t be. When a physical therapist performs the examination, they will be able to classify you as having one or more of the following:
- An inflammatory condition
- Limited jaw range of motion
- Excessive jaw range of motion
- Arthrogenous Disc Displacement
- Jaw muscle pain
- Neck pain causing related headaches (sometimes mistaken as TMD)
Whether the condition is mild or serious, professional advice is always essential for ruling out any other underlying issues and finding the best treatment for TMJ disorders.
