Are you recently been dealing with jaw pain? Is there a terrible clicking sound? Have you noticed that you can only eat a certain variety of meals? Read on to see how physiotherapy might help you.
Although most people believe that pain and dysfunction in the jaw are only due to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), this term refers to a range of diseases that affect the masticatory muscles, the joint itself, and other tissues.
These are included in a broader temporomandibular disorders (TMD) category. The most typical cause of orofacial discomfort with a non-dental etiology is TMD. The most prevalent temporomandibular problem is myofascial pain.
Unlike many other joints in the body, a little disc rests between the head of the mandible and the skull. This little disc frequently moves out of place in TMJ problems. This may subsequently limit the mandibular’s range of motion, resulting in uncomfortable mouth opening. When you open your mouth, the mandible may occasionally move to one side, depending on the disc’s position.
Tightness in certain jaw muscles is frequently the cause of TMJ dysfunction. The masseter and the temporalis are two of the most often tense muscles. These muscles can tighten up for various causes, including stress, car accidents, dental procedures that require keeping the mouth open for an extended amount of time, overeating hard foods, and even excessive gum chewing.
TMJ is one of the primary causes of persistent orofacial discomfort, making it difficult to eat, talk, read loudly, or even shout. Additionally, these problems are frequently linked to other head and neck-related symptoms, including headache, ear-related symptoms, neck discomfort, and poor head and cervical posture.
Additionally, TMJ can cause symptoms like joint noises. These include crepitus or clicking, which can limit jaw movement.
The discal and capsular ligaments’ elongation and compression of the methodical tissues are the causes of joint discomfort. TMJ clicking appears connected to ligament issues and changes in the condyle-disc assembly during jaw movement.
The most popular form of treatment for TMD and TMJ is physical therapy. Therapy aims to lessen neck and jaw pain, help patients open their mouths without pain, increase range of motion, and encourage activity to preserve good function. TMJ Physiotherapists in Calgary and elsewhere assist with all these conditions that can cause discomfort and the inability to move your jaw without anesthesia, injections, or surgery.
Massages of aching muscles are only one aspect of physical therapy. It is a complete strategy to lessen discomfort and increase strength, flexibility, and range of motion. To support you with self-management strategies and exercises to get long-term relief, physics uses manual therapy as a window of opportunity to increase your strength, flexibility, and range of motion.
Physical treatment is also far more efficient than TENS machines, heat packs, lasers, ultrasounds, and laser therapy. Even though these techniques have been around for a while, people still employ them to get unsatisfactory outcomes.
Orofacial physical therapy is a specific form of physical therapy that targets reducing discomfort for people with TMJ in the neck, mouth, and shoulders. The exercises are intended to improve the alignment of the head and neck, and both active and passive mouth exercises help ease musculoskeletal discomfort. Since it is clinically helpful in enhancing function and decreasing pain, exercise therapy has been utilized for decades.
Your dentist or orofacial specialist and a physical therapist can collaborate to decide if neck and jaw surgery is the best course of action for you.
Managing the daily pressures depends on taking good care of your health. Shoulders and neck muscles tense up more under stress. This stress may manifest in the jaw region and cause teeth grinding.
While you’re sleeping at night, your jaws may clench. Consider any discomfort you may feel when you first wake up to see whether you could be unknowingly keeping tension in your jaw.
The good news is that you don’t have to put up with TMJ pain, and surgery is not necessary nor advised for most patients. According to patients, physiotherapy may successfully treat TMJ discomfort and dysfunction. The larger physiotherapy and clinical research groups also confirm this.
TMJ physiotherapists can help overcome TMJ headaches and other musculoskeletal pain while helping patients better understand their TMJ problem by taking care of their jaw muscles and joints. Such
This thorough method of TMJ physical treatment can assist patients long-term and lo r the likelihood of recurrence.
A physiotherapist can assist you in determining the underlying causes and devise a plan for long-term relief from jaw pain, whether you are suffering from it due to a physical injury, teeth grinding, or muscular imbalances.