Easing the Pain and Symptoms of TMJ with Chiropractic Care

If you are wondering if TMJ can be treated with chiropractic care, the answer is yes. Chiropractic adjustments can help relieve the pain of TMJ, loosen the jaw muscles and restore pain-free movement. In addition, your chiropractor will recommend at-home soft tissue exercises to compliment your in-office chiropractic treatment.

What is TMJ?

TMJ is the most common disorder of the temporomandibular joint. It causes pain in the jaw, ear, and neck. TMJ can be caused by injury or may simply go unnoticed for many years and then suddenly turn into a chronically painful condition. Symptoms may include clicking, locking of the jaw, pain in the ear when chewing or biting down on something hard, and headaches.

There are three types of TMJ injury:

• Trauma (injury)
• Mechanical (wear and tear)
• Developmental (congenital)

According to The TMJ Association, over 30 million people in the United States have TMJ. For some the condition is mild and others experience intense pain ad dysfunction.

The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) is the most complex joint in the body. The jaw joints must work together with our muscles to move forward and back, up and down and side to side. That’s a lot of movement. Inflammation, injury, and degenerative diseases can disrupt the smooth workings of these joints and muscles, causing pain and loss of movement.

 Chiropractic Treatment for TMJ

Chiropractors are trained to work with the joints and muscles of the body to restore movement, reduce inflammation and eliminate pain. Treating TMJ is right in our wheelhouse. TMJ is often first recognized by your dentist who may recommend you visit your general practitioner or a chiropractor.

Chiropractors will assess your condition and ask questions about any previous diagnosis and treatment. Based on our assessment we will recommend a schedule of TMJ specific adjustments to reduce inflammation and loosen and stretch the jaw muscles to alleviate the pain you are experiencing. We will also make recommendations for exercises you can perform daily to support your in-office treatment and manage the pain associated with TMJ.

Chiropractic care is a treatment many TMJ sufferers find helps them achieve relief from the symptoms and pain and gets them back to eating, talking, brushing their teeth and even yawning without worry. Many patients are also able to stop relying on pain medications to manage their condition.

If you would like to learn more, reach out to Dr. Will for a consultation. He’s always happy to answer any questions about how chiropractic treatment can help others live a better, pain-free life.

Contact our office at (845) 592-2237 to schedule a consultation. There is a path forward.