The temporomandibular joint also known as the TMJ, is a joint that can be responsible for a wide range of facial and jaw pain, from clicking, popping, headaches, jaw aches to difficulty chewing.
The function of this joint is to open and close your mouth during eating, talking, brushing your teeth, and drinking...
The TMJ is made up of bones held together by ligaments, a joint capsule, muscles, tendons, and a disc to cushion the joint. You have two TMJs, one on each side of your face!
The causes for pain in the TMJ are many and varied and can include issues like stress, postural problems, malocclusion of your teeth (meaning your teeth do not allow your jaw to close properly), or bruxism (teeth grinding and jaw clenching), and even head and neck trauma. Likewise, the symptoms are varied and can include tenderness in the jaw and face, tinnitus (ringing in your ears), headaches, earaches, pain with chewing, brushing teeth or drinking, and even issues like neck and shoulder pain or dizziness and light headedness.
Osteopathy can help as osteopaths commonly treat TMJ dysfunction and the symptoms associated with it. First, diagnosis will look at identifying the cause of the dysfunction which may be referred pain from your neck shoulders or back, as well as other issues mentioned previously such as, bruxism, posture or the structures associated with the TMJ. Treatment will address these issues and your osteopath may also give you advice regarding stress reduction, relaxation techniques and or altering the type of food you eat. Each treatment is tailored to the specific patient and their needs.
