Jaw Pain
“when I can’t enjoy eating, talking and laughing with friends I’m a seriously unhappy person!”
– TMJ pain sufferer
Do You Suspect You Have A Jaw Problem?
If you’re experiencing pain, stiffness or clicking of your jaw there’s a high possiblily you have a temporomandibular (TMJ) joint problem. Perhaps you can’t chew and enjoy your food without pain, or laugh out loud without fear of jaw pain or locking. These are common complaints we hear from our patients, along with others such as neck pain/stiffness and headaches, unexplained toothache, earache or ringing in the ear (tinnitus). Collectively, these symptosm are known as tempormandibular dysfunction, or TMD.
What Causes TMJ Problems?
TMJ problems can results from acute injures, such as a fall onto the chin or direct blow to the face, or they can build up gradually over time, for example, from clenching the jaw due to stress. Some of the common causes of jaw problems include:
- Trauma (e.g. whiplash injury or direct blow)
- Jaw clenching and grinding (bruxism)
- Joint hypermobility (unstable jaw liagments and intra-articular discs)
- Biting down on something hard (e.g. toffee)
- Dental proceedures
- Poor posture and upper neck dysfunction
- Arthritic changes in the joint
- Inflammatory joint diseases (e.g. rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis)
- Stress/Anxiety
- Medication side effects (e.g. SSRI-induced bruxism)
How We Help
At The Health Formula, we understand that experiencing a jaw problem can be uncomfortable and distressing, so we will develop a personalised treatment plan to help reduce pain and restore normal function as quickly as possible.
We have many years of experience treating jaw-related problems and are committed to providing you with natural, non-surgical solutions. This is acheived using a comibination of osteopathy, dry needling and take-home exercises and stretches, along with any relevant lifestyle modifications (stress management, sleep optimisation, etc).
We also work closely with dentists and, if necessary, will refer you to an appropriate specialist.
