TMJ
What is it?
The Temporomandibular Joint (The joint that moves your mouth)
Housed within the head, face and neck are the components of the TMJ which allow you to move your jaw to do simple things like talk, chew, yawn, etc.
The term TMD (commonly known as TMJ) is used to describe dysfunction of the joint, not necessarily the joint itself.
Approximately 50–75% of the general population has experienced one sided temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) on a minimum of one occasion.
At least 33% have reported a minimum of one continuing persistent symptom. TMD is a collective term used to describe a number of related disorders affecting the joint and its related structures, all of which may have common symptoms.
Where is your Temporomandibular Joint?
Gently put your fingers in your ears. Now slowly move your fingers out of your ears, toward your cheeks. Stop just outside of the ear. Open and close your mouth. The bones the you feel moving around are your TMJ.
Muscular Anatomy
Temporalis muscle
Massetter muscle (chewing)
Pterygoid muscle(s)
Occipital muscle(s)
Buccinator (grinding)
Digastric muscle
Adjacent structures of the jaw such as tendons and ligaments also play a factor
Why does it hurt so much?
Predisposing factors include the structural, neurologic, hormonal, and metabolic features of an individual.
Precipitating factors generally fall into the following four categories:
(1) trauma to the head, the neck, or the jaw
(2) repeated low-grade extrinsic trauma, such as nail biting and chewing gum
(3) repeated low-grade intrinsic trauma such as teeth clenching or bruxism (grinding teeth)
(4) stress that passes a certain threshold, which is individual for each patient.
(5) Cervical (neck) and upper thoracic (mid-back) spine function
(6) poor posture
Most common accompanying factors:
Headaches
Facial pain
Earache
Neck pain
Systemic or Arthritic Disorders (ie. Rheumatoid Arthritis)
Can we help?
Yesssssssssss!
How?
In our chiropractic office we practice an adjunct therapy called Active Release Therapy (ART). You can think about ART as a hyper specific deep tissue treatment for your muscles. Many people tend to think about ART as an adjustment for your soft tissue. When muscles get tired and worn, and are not helped by recovery methods such as soft tissue therapy, stretching, ice or heat therapy, nutrition, etc. they can begin to band together and get stuck, thereby limiting range of motion or distorting range of motion. When this happens muscles still work generally well, but they’re pulling the bones slightly out of alignment and creating different wear patterns. Think of a car whose tires are out of alignment. You generally won’t notice for a while, but when you do, you realize there is a growing problem. The thing is, you can rotate or replace your tires. You can’t replace your jaw.
When patients come in for TMJ disorders, we carefully examine their midback, neck, head and jaw to locate the area of dysfunction. Then we systematically work to separate the tight, stringy, compressed muscles and help them regain their normal range of motion. Over time, with careful and methodical treatments we help people to gain recovery in the specific muscles that have been impaired and help them regain proper function.
There is rarely a specific adjustment to the jaw that follows the ART treatment. Most times compressing an already inflamed joint does not help reduce symptoms. Chiropractic adjustments to the neck and upper back help as a complimentary therapy to further relieve stress in the jaw.
