TMJ: A Painful, Debilitating Condition in Bethesda That Can Be Relieved With Chiropractic Care

Tempromandibular Joint Disorder (or TMJ, for short) is a fairly common ailment where a person is unable to freely move their jaw – in fact, the movement is fairly limited. There are 68 muscle pairs at the front of the ears that attach the skull to the jaw, which is a hinge joint. It’s these muscles that are responsible for eating, talking, yawning and swallowing. Of all the muscles used in the body, they’re the ones the body commonly uses.

In the jaw, there is a disk called the articular disk. This disk keeps the skull separate from the condyle head of the mandible. A misalignment with this disk can result in the TMJ condition. It’s usually the result from stress, leading to grinding and clenching of teeth… and can even occur while sleeping. TMJ tends to be caused by crowded or missing teeth or trauma like whiplash. 35 percent of Americans have some type of TMJ condition.

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How Do You Know You’re Suffering With TMJ?

TMJ symptoms and signs include:

• Stiffness and pain when closing or opening the mouth
• Popping, cracking or grinding noises when the joint is used

TMJ results in serious damage on the joint, and could lead to major consequence for normal everyday use.

Chiropractors have been trained to treat joint misalignment including TMJ. Therefore, if you suffer with this painful condition, seek help from a chiropractor. They’ll look at your lifestyle and ask you about your medical history. The chiropractor may suggest x-rays to note the articular disk’s position and find the mandible’s condyle head. A massage of the area can determine just how serious your TMJ condition is.

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What Kind Of Treatment Is Available For TMJ?

The treatment for TMJ involves relieving the tension in the jaw’s muscles as well as the upper back and neck. It may also involve using the hand to manipulate and adjusts to the trigger points to attain a state of relaxation. If stress is the reason for the TMJ, your chiropractor may suggest relaxation techniques – counseling, meditation, and massage – and certain types of exercise to ease the stress. Your chiropractor may suggest some of these exercises be done at home.

It’s not often that medication or surgery is necessary to treat the condition.

Successful treatments of TMJ will provide the jaw joint with a wider range of motion, resulting in relieving the jaw pain, popping, locking, neck pain and headaches. Bear in mind that chiropractic care can keep the reoccurrence of TMJ from happening, making it much more than a pain relief option.

With effective treatment possibilities and avoiding surgery or medications, this is certainly a worthwhile choice to treatment the TMJ condition. For further information visit Montgomery County Chiropractic and take advantage of the new patient special offer.