TMJ Dysfunction…More than an Inconvenience
TMJ is the short form for Temporal Mandibular Joint. To find this joint merely place your index finger from each hand just in front of your ears. Now open and close your mouth and you’ll feel the joint go through its motion underneath your fingers. Now for most of you the joint will move smoothly but for 30% of the population this joint doesn’t work so well…thus the term dysfunction.
Symtoms of TMJ Dysfunction can range from popping or clicking sounds, tinnitus, headaches,ear pain, jaw pain, or an inability to chew food properly. For some it is a life changing problem because of sleep loss and the resulting chronic fatigue that sucks the joy out of each day. According to many health professionals TMJ Dysfunction is one of the most under diagnosed and under treated musculo-skeletal pain conditions.
Try this Symptomology review to see if you may be struggling with TMJ Dysfunction:
- Does your jaw joint make a popping, clicking or snapping sound when you move it?
- Do you hear and/or feel a grating sound in your jaw joint on movement?
- Is the joint tender to external pressure? This can be assessed by manually pressing the area in the front of the ear.
- Do you clinch and/or grind your teeth at night or during the day?
- Do you sometimes have difficulty opening or closing your mouth?
- If you have tinnitus (ringing in your ears), does the ringing sound change in any way as you open and close your mouth while applying external pressure to the joint?
- Do you have frequent episodes of vertigo and/or nausea?
- Do you have ear sensitivity and/or pain associated with sound?
- Do you have recurring ear aches for which the doctor can find no apparent cause?
- Do you have recurring migraine-like headaches that do not respond to migraine medicine and for which the doctor can find no cause?
- Are your neck and shoulder muscles constantly tense and/or painful?
- Do you have a recurrent knot in the muscles on the edge of your shoulder blades closest to the spine?
- Do you feel chronically fatigued and/or depressed?
If you answered yes to any one or more of these questions, you may suffer from some level of TMJ Dysfunction. (TMJD)
Massage Therapy is an effective solution to TMJD and at painPRO many of our Registered Massage Therapists are fully versed in correcting the problems associated with this condition.
