Jaw Pain – Client Story

I had a patient last month who was very surprised to find himself in my office.

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After protesting that he wasn’t the sort of person who would normally try ‘all this complementary medicine stuff’ he confessed that his dentist had suggested he see a manual therapist. After putting up with a painful clicking jaw for months, he’d asked his dentist for advice during his regular check up. My doubtful patient wanted to know how a ‘back doctor’ could possibly help his jaw pain.

As regular readers will know, chiropractically trained health practitioners work on the nervous system and your entire musculoskeletal (muscles and bones) system. Your jaw joint is one of the most frequently used in the body as it allows you to chew, yawn, speak and swallow. This TMJ (temporomandibular joint) connects the jawbone to the skull and is surrounded by 68 pairs of muscles immediately in front of the ear on each side of the head. If the jaw is misaligned, it doesn’t work properly – and rather like a poorly hung door it becomes stiff to use, locking and grating until damage occurs or, preferably, you do something about it.

Symptoms of TMJ

Pain from TMJ disorders is very common although the symptomatic pain can clear up on its own but leave the underlying misalignment in place. Symptoms include radiating pain in the face, neck, or shoulders; limited movement or locking of the jaw; painful clicking or grating when opening or closing the mouth; a significant change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together; and headaches, earaches, dizziness, hearing problems and difficulty swallowing. You may notice that it is painful when you chew food or, if you grind your teeth at night, you may awake with an aching jaw. Whilst emotional stress does not cause TMJ disorders it can exacerbate it if you are the sort of person who clenches their teeth when under pressure. Women experience TMJ disorders four times as often as men.  There are three main categories for TMJ disorders: discomfort or pain in the muscles of the jaw, neck, and shoulders; a dislocated jaw or displaced disc; and degenerative joint disease—rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis in the jaw joint. Severe injury to the jaw is also a common cause, for example, from a sports or workplace injury. If left untreated, the joint can become arthritic.

To get back to my patient with the jaw pain: his dentist had ruled out dental problems and had suggested a consultation at my clinic would be a good idea to rule out TMJ disorders. Following a thorough examination, I was able to tell the patient that he did indeed have misaligned jaw joint and I was able to recommend a course of chiropractic adjustments and some special exercises that he could do at home to strengthen and stretch the muscles in the jaw. I also suggested alternating an ice and a heat pack to help relieve the painful inflammation and to avoid destabilising the jaw by not eating hard crunchy food or opening his mouth too wide. A month later, my patient is out of pain and following a programme of adjustments and home exercises to stabilise his jaw and avoid the return of the disorder and future damage.

So, yes, jaws are seen in Benfleet…along with every joint in your body.

Test your TMJ

If you are experiencing clicking or grating plus pain when you use your jaw, gently try this test of your jaw’s range of motion. Use clean hands and don’t force your jaw more than it can naturally open.  Hold you palm vertically in front of your face with your thumb pointing upwards. Extend your index finger out of the way. You should be able to easily get three fingers between your teeth and even 4 if you include the little finger.  If you experience pain, consider consulting a chiropractically trained health care practitioner.

If you are suffering with jaw pain or you think you may be suffering from TMJ, get in contact with us! We can help to relieve your jaw pain just like we did for this client. Contact our Benfleet Clinic or our South Woodham Clinic

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