Are Exercises Enough To Stop My Jaw Pain?

There is an estimated 10 million Americans suffering from chronic facial pain or jaw pain. TMJ (temporomandibular joint) which is the literal term for the jawbone joint is a term that has been applied to a disorder of that joint. There are several other names as well including TMJ disorder, TMD (temporomandibular dysfunction), CMD (craniomandibular dysfunction), MPD (myofascial pain dysfunction) and TMJD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction).

Whatever the label it's important to understand that it's not just one disorder but a group of conditions. There are three main categories: degenerative joint disease such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, internal derangement of the joint meaning dislocation of the joint usually but not always caused by trauma, and the most common category, myofascial pain.

For the majority of people, pain or discomfort from a TMJ disorder, will eventually go away with no treatment. If you are diagnosed with a TMJ disorder the best course of action will be to start with conservative therapies and make sure to try everything available before you resort to any irreversible treatments.

Some irreversible treatments to stay away from are surgery and occlusal adjustment. TMJ surgeries could involve irrigating the jaw joint, disc repositioning where the disc is sewn into a different position, discectomy where the disc is removed and replaced with an artificial disc, Articular eminance recontouring, or the reshaping of the ball in the joint, and complete TMJ replacement which could involve using bone from another body part or using a metal joint.

Occlusal adjustment is a treatment that involves changing the way your teeth meet when you close your mouth. It could involve using orthodontics or a repositioning splint that would permanently change your bite. The orthodontics could be crown and bridge work or grinding and changing the surface of your teeth.

Since most TMJ disorders are temporary and are not progressive, conservative self-care practices and TMJ exercises are usually enough to relieve jaw pain from a TMJ disorder. Since a TMJ disorder is a physical condition, correct TMJ exercises would follow the same guidelines as any other physical therapy used to correct a physical disorder.

Physical therapy guidelines are well established and work for almost every physical condition. The guidelines include starting with therapies like heat or cold packs and stretching exercises that help to reduce swelling and begin to restore the normal range of motion of the joint. Then more exercises are used that repair and strengthen the muscles around the joint to prevent re-injury.

Some other conservative treatments for jaw pain or TMJ disorders would be herbal therapies, Yoga breathing exercises, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or prescription pain medications and anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, or anti-depressants. But these measures should be used very temporarily since they will not fix the problem.

There are many uncertainties with the TMJ disorder but one thing is certain. Before doing anything irreversible as a treatment you may want to try everything and anything as an alternative and that would definitely include physical therapy in the form of TMJ exercises.