Temporomandibular Disorder, AKA TMJ, is a blanket term for inflammation of the temporomandibular joints, jaw muscles, and facial nerves. Since as many as 10 million Americans suffer from TMJ, it is not surprising that treatments are sought every single day to relieve the pain and tension associated with the disorder. Can chiropractors be one of these treatments for TMJ?
Symptoms of TMJ
Since TMJ is a blanket term for general inflammation, symptoms may vary. Some of the most common symptoms of TMJ are:
- Ear pain
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Jaw pain or soreness
- Jaw pain when biting or chewing
- Popping or clicking noises when opening the mouth
- Jaw stiffness or difficulty opening the jaw
- Tinnitus
- Dizziness
- Sensitive teeth when no other dental problems can be found
Causes of TMJ
Commonly diagnosed by a dentist, ENT, or chiropractor after evaluating symptoms, TMJ has a multitude of causes depending on the person, environment, and specific situation. Many times, an injury or accident causes symptoms of TMJ, but other causes include:
- Arthritis
- Misalignment
- Tension or stress
- Teeth grinding
- General inflammation from diet or autoimmune issues
- Internal disorder of the joint
Because TMJ is more a diagnosis based on symptoms and ruling out other conditions, tests for TMJ are typically just checking for inflammation, clicking, popping, and a patient’s testimony and medical history.
Treatments for TMJ
Conventional medicine and dentists who diagnose TMJ might start with prescribing anti-inflammatory medications and pain relievers, but chiropractic looks at body systems holistically and recognizes that they are all connected. For that reason, chiropractic treatment of TMJ focuses on treating the root cause rather than just the symptoms.
Some general treatments of TMJ include eating soft foods, applying ice packs, learning relaxation and stress-relief techniques, gentle stretches of the neck and jaw muscles, and soft tissue massage of the neck and jaw muscles.
How Can a Chiropractor Help TMJ?
On top of the solutions mentioned above, a chiropractor treats TMJ through adjustments and other therapy methods. Your chiropractor may recommend massage therapy as a treatment along with the adjustments to fix misalignment as well.
A chiropractor’s usual treatment for TMJ includes soft tissue massage of the muscles surrounding your jawbone. After the soft tissue work is done to relax the muscles, your chiropractor will examine the jaw to determine which side of the jaw is opening less than the other (or popping more than the other side) and will start working on that side first.
The stuck side of the jaw is typically worked on first to get more motion, and once we are able to help the alignment on that side, it’s important to ensure everything is aligned and even on both sides once the adjustment has been done. The manipulation of the jaw joint is gentle and slower than other forms of chiropractic adjustment.
The adjustment may need to be done more than once within a couple weeks to relieve the pain and inflammation. Your chiropractor will help you find the frequency and treatment plan that works best for you.
Duncan Chiropractic Can Help with TMJ and Misalignment
Located in Strongsville, Ohio, Duncan Chiropractic helps ease pain and treat the root cause of the misalignment in the body. We treat bodies holistically and understand that every body is different and requires unique care. This is why we have no set number of visits we recommend and no pre-purchased programs. We recommend number of adjustments, types of adjustments (and other treatments), and maintenance plans based on examinations, X-Rays, and personal health history.
Call us today to schedule your free consultation to determine if chiropractic care is right for you.