Jaw pain and TMD
There are many conditions that contribute to Temporomandibular disorders that cause pain and discomfort at the jaw joint and muscles that cause the jaw to move for you to chew, talk and yawn.
Many people with head, neck and shoulder pain have no idea the primary cause could be the jaw.
These joint disorders can be classified into three groups:
1. Dysfunction of the joints :
Pain at the joint
The articulating disc is not in it’s normal position. You may hear a clicking or your jaw may get stuck
Degeneration of the bone in the joint, you may hear a crunching sound with opening and closing your jaw
2. Dysfunction of the muscles:
These involve the chewing muscles
Pain gets worse by applying pressure to the muscle
You subconsciously avoid chewy foods like steak or sourdough bread
The pain spreads and you may feel myofascial pain around the neck or through the head even into the back and ribs far from where it started.
3. Headaches associated with TMD
Any type of headache can be associated with TMD
Causes:
There are many factors that may be contributing to TMD. Causes may include :
Mouth breathing rather than nasal breathing as a child -
Bottle feeding rather than breast feeding
Major falls or knocks to any part of the head or neck at any time
Genetic predisposition
Loss of a back tooth
Poor swallowing and chewing habits
Neck dysfunction
Tongue posture
Breathing pattern
Nervous system tension
Poor sleeping habits
Posture
Cranial strains
Assessment:
At More Pathways we have combined multiple fields of research and medical knowledge to appropriately assess your jaw and how it relates to your cranium, neck and rest of the body.
Osteopathically we assess the musculoskeletal system of the jaw, head and neck as well as the entire body to find the root problem.
We also combine myofunctional tests with validated measures to assess the jaw and tongue function.
We look neurologically and test reflexes and cranial nerves.
We even look as far as the feet and how your standing as the proprioception from your feet affects the balance of your jaw!
Breathing has an affect on how well your head and jaw are functioning so we use integrative breathing measures to assess your whole breathing.
With a thorough history into your pain and experience, we get to the root cause of the problem.
We screen and assess for upper airway restrictions which may be contributing to jaw pain and TMD
Treatment:
Osteopathy in the cranial field : this is a gentle approach which involves balancing the movements of the bones, ligaments and muscles which is well suited to jaw pain.
Intra-oral techniques : Using a manual technique to release muscles inside of the mouth
Osteopathy on the head, neck and shoulders : Gentle mobilisation, soft tissue, balancing and fascial release of surrounding muscles
Addressing contributing factors : Working on the whole body and how it all works together
Integrative Breathing Therapy : addressing dysfunctional breathing patterns which may be putting too much load on the small muscles around the head and neck
Appropriate supplementation : prescribing supplements to help with pain, muscle restoration and sleep
Pain education : Addressing pain in the brain has proven to be useful in chronic pain and acute flare ups
Send home recourses for self management : Patient recourse information sheets to guide you through self management at home, reducing your need to recurrent and multiple treatments.
Appropriate exercises : Exercises to normalise function
Guidance on safe jaw practices : Putting together a treatment plan that includes your habits at home
Appropriate referrals : More Pathways has close relationships with functional dentists and orofacial myofunctional therapists and will always get you to the right place getting the right form of care.