TMJ vs. TMD: Understanding the Real Cause of Jaw Pain
It is a constant phrase I hear in the office: “Doc, I have TMJ.” The truth is you have 2 TMJs. The temporomandibular joint is the joint on both sides of the jaw that allows the mandible to freely open and close your mouth. What a lot of my patients do have is TMD; dysfunction of one or both of their TMJs. Symptoms of TMD are clicking or popping in the jaw with movement, limited ability to open the jaw, pain just in front of the ear or pain with chewing. Often, frequent headaches accompany TMD. This is due to the inseparable function of the jaw and the upper neck.
Research has shown that manual therapy is very effective at treating TMD. Therapy including soft tissue release, joint manipulation, exercise, and education on avoidance of aggravating activities can resolve many of these cases. One of the biggest contributors to TMD is chronic clenching and grinding of the teeth as a subconscious behavior stemming from stress and focus, otherwise known as bruxism. In our society the first people to point out this behavior are typically the dentist who notices patterns of wear on the enamel of our teeth.
Dentists will usually prescribe a night guard for management of the condition to protect the enamel, and the guard is indeed very effective at preserving the condition of our teeth. The problem is when this is where we stop with our treatment of TMD. The bruxism persists and so does the clicking, popping, pain, headaches, and all the other wide-ranging symptoms that can be attributed to our sub conscious behaviors. One of the most important things is learning about the relaxed position of the jaw. The tip of the tongue should constantly be resting on the roof of the mouth which neurologically inhibits clenching and grinding and holding tension in the muscles of the neck and jaw.
In office, it is often necessary for us to work intraorally to release the muscles of the jaw, that is, to go inside the mouth and free up tension in the tight muscles causing dysfunction. It is also imperative that the muscles of the upper cervical spine, front of the neck and all the way through the upper back be properly released to stabilize the biomechanical imbalance.
If you have struggled with TMD or are tired of relying on a night guard without getting to the root of your problem, reach out to Optimal Performance Center for an in-depth analysis and treatment approach.
