In this article I am going to give you about the only solid piece of advice there is for helping your TMJ pain at home. And I'm also going to give you steps to get there, because it's not as easy as making up your mind. Read on, if you've got TMJ pain or Jaw pro
blems. What's TMJ, you might ask? It's the hinge joint that allows your mouth to open and holds the jaw bone to your skull. It's located right in front of your ear. If you've got pain in and around the area, this article is for you!
TMJ pain is very common, with the NIH saying the 10 million Americans are affected with TMJ area problems. It is so common that Dr. Ryan House at our office is a specialist in the treatment of all things TMJ, face pain, jaw clicking, locked jaw and headaches (which very commonly go hand in hand). Another thing to note is that with most problems throughout the body, recommendations can be given, a YouTube Video can be posted, or a stretch shown that can help you help yourself. In our professional opinion, you will make yourself worse with self stretches or home exercises or gadgets to treat it. Yep, these TMJ pains / dysfunctions are just plain complicated.
That doesn't mean there's not an answer. At Cumberland Chiropractic and Sports Medicine, we are highly successful in fixing TMJ issues causing pain, trouble opening the mouth, or headaches. We utilize sniper-like strategies to remove tension, adhesion and pressure on the joint that causes what you feel, pain. Some of these strategies include Active Release Technique or ART, dry needling, or scarping / Graston Technique. Think a Theragun or Hypervolt will do the trick? Give it a shot and you'll find out that jaws get angry if the treatment is not precise.
Now, you can possibly help yourself with what I am about to tell you. You can
absolutely get better faster when you end up calling our office or clicking the Request Appt Button above if you do what I tell you. The one and only best self help home care exercise is to STOP teeth grinding and bruxing (fidgeting with jaw movement). Sound easy, or don't think you've got a problem, just ask your dentist and he or she will tell you that it's not easy and you've definitely got a problem, which is what caused your TMJ issues (unless you have had a jaw trauma in your past).
Did you know that your teeth aren't supposed to touch all day long? Relearn that the normal resting jaw posture is teeth open, lips closed, tongue rested gently behind your top and bottom teeth. When you're not eating, your teeth are not supposed to try and fit together like a perfect puzzle. When you do, you likely may be causing stress and strain on the jaw joint.
Knowing what's normal, and knowing that touching your teeth together hurts you; if you have any trouble stopping the habit and you REALLY want to get better, try this: The next time you catch yourself, stop what you're doing and ask yourself, "What am I trying to control?" "Why am I so intense right now?" You are going to have to let go of control and realize that control is futile and hurting you. Control is the opposite of trust. I choose to trust in God, who made the world, loves me like crazy, and is the only one really powerful enough to take care of me anyway. I'll let me down when I do it on my own. I've tried.
If you've tried this and it's not helping, you need our help. If you've tried and it helped some, but only a little, you need our help. If your problem has resolved, you're very welcome and it was our pleasure to help :) Watch our other videos about TMJ issues for exercise recommendations and more great information.