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TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorders)

Home Treatments & Services TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorders)

Popping, pain or locking up in the jaw with yawning, eating, biting and chewing can be common, but it’s not normal and is very treatable.

We often hold our stress in our faces, and this can translate to clenching the jaw and/or grinding the teeth during the day and even in our sleep.

Jaw pain can radiate into the ear, neck and even the shoulder blade.

You can also experience the jaw locking when you open or close your mouth.

This can be quite painful and require manual assistance to release.

You may also be unable to chew or bite into hard foods and are restricted to a “soft diet” to avoid symptoms.

Symptoms
Treatment Options
What to Expect
Symptoms

• Inability to fully open or close your mouth
• Grinding your teeth
• Pain and/or popping with jaw movements/eating/chewing
• Your jaw locks in opening, closing or both

Treatment Options
Treatment sessions may include:

  • General education on the condition and on how physical therapy can help you
  • Recommended sleeping positions
  • Guidance in a graduated “soft” to “hard” diet and how to avoid locking the jaw in open/closed positions
  • Ergonomic set up guidance for your desk or any other sustained position you encounter in your day
  • Manual therapy to reduce tension and trigger points in your jaw and surrounding musculature
  • Manual therapy to improve alignment and segmental mobility of your spine and shoulder girdle
  • Electrical stimulation protocols to reduce spasm and improve your blood flow
  • Ultrasound


A home exercise plan may include:

  • Learning how to find, isolate and coordinate jaw movements to correct alignment issues and to correct jaw movements
  • Jaw and facial relaxation or strengthening
  • Posture training, stretching and strengthening tailored to your individual problems that contribute
  • Stretches
What to Expect

At your first visit, you’ll have a thorough evaluation including questions about your current and past medical history.

Our physical therapist may ask you about past dental work, surgeries and procedures, and if you wear a mouth guard at night.

You’ll be asked many questions about your symptoms, including what aggravates and relieves your symptoms and what kind of limitations they create for you.

With your permission, she will evaluate your jaw from the outside and then perform an intra-oral exam to investigate the muscles that surround the inside of the jaw.

Just as with any other muscle group, she is looking for pain, tightness, strength and coordination.

Lastly, she will look at your neck, shoulder girdle and overall posture to rule out contributions they may have on your current jaw dysfunction.  She’ll check strength, range of motion, reflexes and sensation.