Do you get jaw pain, headaches, clicking or lockjaw? Do you find it hard to fit three fingers in your mouth? If this is you, you may be experiencing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction.
The TMJ consists of the temporal (skull) and the mandible (jaw) gliding on each other to open and close the jaw. The articular disc in between the temporal bone and the mandible can move due to tight muscles and cause clicking and pain.
Types of TMJ disorders:
Muscular
Muscular TMJ dysfunction is usually associated with bruxism (grinding and clenching). Clenching and grinding cause trigger points and tension in the muscles which then causes pain. During a myotherapy treatment we will focus on soft tissue release and dry needling of these muscles. We will also look at lifestyle factors, as bruxism can be related to stress and anxiety disorders.
Muscles of the jaw
- Temoporalis: elevates the mandible
- Masster: elevates and protrudes the mandible
- Medial pterygoid: elevates and protrudes the mandible
- Lateral pterygoid: depress, laterally deviates and protrudes the mandible
Joint
If it is a joint related problem there will usually be clicking, hyper-mobility or lockjaw. The clicking is due to an altered position of the disc in relationship to the mandibular condyle. The lateral pterygoid pulls the disc forward out of position. For this type of problem the Myotherapist will work on joint manual therapy techniques as well as releasing the lateral pterygoid with dry needling.
Cervical (Neck)
The cervical spine’s function is closely related to the TMJ. If a TMJ patient presents with loss of range of motion or cervicogenic headaches we will also look at the spine’s involvement. Dry needling, joint mobilisation and MET stretching are highly effective techniques for treating the cervical spine.
If you think you may have TMJ pain or dysfunction please book in to see a Myotherapist by clicking here.