The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the hinge joint that connects your jawbone to your skull, located on each side of your head, right in front of your ears. This joint lets your jaw move up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn. It's a complex joint involving bones, muscles, and soft tissues that work together to make these movements smooth and pain-free.
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) refer to issues with this joint, the muscles around it, or both. Sometimes you might hear folks say they have "TMJ". While they technically do have a TMJ (we all have this joint lol!), TMJ is just the name of the joint and doesn't describe dysfunction in the joint. TMD refers a range of uncomfortable symptoms, like:
Jaw pain or tenderness
Difficulty chewing or opening/closing your mouth
Clicking, popping, or grating sounds in the jaw
Headaches or pain that spreads to your face or neck
TMD can develop for various reasons, including stress, teeth grinding (bruxism), arthritis, or even from an injury to the jaw or face.
How Physical Therapy Can Help TMD
Physical therapy can be an effective way to manage and relieve symptoms of TMD. At Outshine in Asheville, NC, we use a combination of manual therapy, exercises, and education to help reduce pain, improve function, and prevent further issues. Here’s how PT can help:
Manual Therapy: Gentle, hands-on techniques can help ease muscle tension and improve mobility in the jaw. This might include massage, joint mobilizations, and stretches to help with muscle imbalances. At Outshine, we also implement dry needling for TMD which can be a very effective tool to help alleviate pain and improve proper function of the joint.
Strengthening and Stretching Exercises: Physical therapists may prescribe exercises to improve the strength and flexibility of the jaw and neck muscles. This helps stabilize the joint, making jaw movements smoother and less painful.
Posture and Body Mechanics: Certain positions of the upper back and neck can impact the stress placed on the TMJ. So at Outshine, we want to make sure we take a full look at what you do during your day so we can help get you out of pain faster and prevent it from happening again. This might mean improving your work place set-up, the position you sit in in your car, and more.
Education and Lifestyle Adjustments: At Outshine, we believe that education is one of the most important parts of our care. This allows you to understand why your symptoms are happening, and prevent them better in the future. Our goal is to empower you so you can take better care of your body. Education for TMD could mean temporary modifications to the types of food you eat, avoiding habits like chewing gum or biting nails, and using stress-reducing techniques if jaw tension is stress-related.
If you are in the Asheville or surrounding areas and dealing with TMD, then click below to set up your free call with me so we can get you feeling better! Outshine Physical Therapy and Fitness in Asheville will create an individualized plan for you with the above approaches to help your jaw pain and dysfunction.
I hope this was helpful and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sieara Hinshaw
828-808-3704
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