Eliminating TMJ Dysfunction And Pain With Physiotherapy

The Temporomandibular Joint, also known as TMJ, is a critical part. We unknowingly damage it, leading to excessive pain for several days. A damaged Temporomandibular Joint is known as Temporomandibular Dysfunction or TMD.

TMJ connects two joints of jawbones to the temporal bone of the skull. It is majorly responsible for the way we speak, chew, and move our jaws every time.

TMD gets extremely painful if the jaw misaligns due to a lack of coordinated movement of the jaws. Some of the symptoms of TMD include headaches, dizziness, pain in TMJ, and locking of one of the jaws in the open position. In such cases, TMJ physiotherapy can be of assistance provided it is recommended by your doctor.

Related What Is TMJ Pain? How Can Physiotherapy Help With It?

A session of TMJ physiotherapy basically lowers the pain and enhances the recovery process.

We will get into more details of how TMJ physiotherapy helps to eliminate TMD and the pain associated with it.

How Does TMJ Physiotherapy Help?

There is a high probability that you will be prescribed several sessions of TMJ physiotherapy due to the benefits that it serves. These are not just one but five different benefits that come in handy even after you have recovered from TMD.

Reduces Muscle Spasm

Pain during TMD goes out of control due to muscle spasms. It is also responsible for slowing the recovery process. A physiotherapist knows how to assess such issues and what treatment suits best.

Opt for TMJ physiotherapy to remain on a safer side. Physiotherapists deploy manual therapy techniques. It also lowers the pain due to TMD.

Patients have reported improved movement and alignment of TMJ after attending a couple of sessions of TMJ physiotherapy.

Improves TMJ Mobility

Mobility deals a lot with the movement of a person or equipment. For instance, mobile phones have high mobility and therefore offer better convenience as compared to a telephone. A physiotherapist at a physiotherapy clinic in Calgary examines the condition to prescribe customized exercises.

You would most probably be allotted a set of stretching exercises. This will help in maintaining a wide range of motion of your jaws.

Attending TMJ physiotherapy during TMD treatment has proved to help in faster recovery.

Postural Muscle Training

Every point related to the movement and placement of your TMJ contributes to the recovery from TMD. Physiotherapists during TMJ physiotherapy train you to strengthen the postural muscles.

This makes a huge difference as you learn what you have been unintentionally doing wrong for a long time.

Physiotherapists also help you to correct the way you set up your workstation and set your car seats.

Strengthens For Hypermobile Joints

There is often no proper pattern in which TMD can move to the neighboring areas of the affected part of your body. However, it can be recognized in the early stage through TMJ physiotherapy and can then be prevented.

Once prevented, the pain will not spread and your hypermobile joints will have enough energy to regain the strength.

Physiotherapists recommend related treatment and exercises to improve the pattern of your natural movement during TMJ physiotherapy. They also strengthen the muscles that have got weak over time.

Relieves Pain

The treatment plan varies for TMJ physiotherapy based on how serious your condition is at the moment. A lot of it remains the same but the detailed, or the initial, stage remains more or less the same.

Physiotherapists lower the pain through acupuncture, thermal modalities, and gentle manual therapy.

Plan for every patient differs from one another. It also differs based on how far you have some in your TMJ physiotherapy.

Causes Of TMD

After understanding how TMJ physiotherapy can help you with TMD, let us also have a brief look at what causes TMD. Needless to say, you can consider opting for TMJ physiotherapy in Calgary at any time while suffering from TMD.

Grinding

Grinding remains under control if one has a habit to do it while awake. It damages TMJ when a person gets into the habit of grinding their teeth during their sleep. TMJ physiotherapy helps in both cases.

Damage due to grinding can be severe based on the duration for how long you have been doing it. Generally, your dentist would mark a red flag and warn you about the habit. He or she will also give you a nightguard to wear for protection.

Don’t hesitate from opening up to accept the night protection. In addition to protecting your TMJ, it also protects your teeth from getting damaged.

Trauma

Trauma during any part of your life can come back to haunt you later. It will either cause hypermobility or stiffness of TMJ.

Physiotherapists work on every patient for TMJ physiotherapy on a case-to-case basis. Therefore, both the cases are looked into with proper care and treatment is performed accordingly.

Trauma can also cause an unequal movement, which can further lead to the wear and tear of TMJ structures. Undergo TMJ physiotherapy for help to correct the unequal movement.

Eating

Everyone loves to eat. A person who says otherwise is either shy or has not yet had their favorite food item. However, it can take a negative turn in your life if you do not take care before consuming a food item.

Intentionally or unintentionally, you can end up biting a hard or a bigger piece of the food item. This can lead to TMD especially if you chew it only from one side.

Have a glance before eating anything, try to go for something that requires less effort to chew, and take your time while chewing a comparatively harder piece of food.

Posture

Your head posture also causes TMD. TMJ physiotherapy can look into it even if you have doubt that something is creating an unequal movement. This way, you will be able to prevent TMD and probably lower the pain from the beginning.

The most common cause of TMD is forward head posture. Everyone may be unable to tell you about the wrong posture as the knowledge about it is scarce. Consult a physiotherapist to gain a better understanding.

Make TMJ physiotherapy a part of your life at least once.

Final Words

You can take preemptive measures by visiting a physiotherapy clinic in Calgary. Dentists can also help with TMJ.

Also Read How Can Physiotherapy Help You Deal With Work-Related Stress?