TMJ Mobility Issues

TMJ issues are a common problem in our population. There are a lot of factors that may be the root cause for this pain such as grinding your teeth, general stress and the position of your neck. The key for a lot of TMJ rehab involves exercises and lifestyle

modifications. In some scenarios it can even make sense to get a night guard as well. An often overlooked treatment for TMJ issues is manual therapy. If you have been doing all the above without the mobility results then you may need to try some manual therapy to see if that jump starts your recovery. 

Decreasing the tension in the muscles that control the jaw can allow for improved mobility with out being pulled in different directions which can negatively impact the tracking of the jaw. This makes your practical exercises more challenging if you cannot move your jaw well. 

Additionally, mobilizing the joint between the jaw and the skull can allow the disc more room to it won’t displace as easily. If you are getting clicking when moving the jaw the disc is more likely to be playing a factor in both the pain and dysfunction of jaw movements. 

A recent study showed that people with greater than 2/10 jaw pain when opening and pain localized to that region responded well to manual therapy that improves their mobility. 

There is always a lot of person to person variation but if these symptoms describe you then you may be a candidate. Adding in some personalized care with manual therapy to the area can help decrease the symptoms and allow you to get more benefit out of other intervention. If this describes you then reach out to schedule an evaluation!