How TMJ Can Cause Back Pain

Having clicking or jaw pain is a serious issue that several people have to suffer through. This condition not only makes it difficult to function, due to headaches, and soreness, but it can also cause many people to detach socially. The biggest reason for this detachment is the difficulty that these people have speaking as they experience great amount of pain from their TMJ condition. While TMJ is continued to be studied, there are some interesting revelations when it comes to what patients and doctors are finding out about this condition.

One such revelation that many people do not associate with TMJ is back pain. Back pain is very apparent in those that suffer from TMJ symptoms. To better understand why this is, some understanding of how TMJ can affect the back is needed. First of all, TMJ does primarily effect jaw function and the muscles that are used to open and close the jaw. These muscles are used when speaking, eating, and even while sleeping. If these muscles are under constant use, or if the jaw is offset, the muscles can be overworked which cause soreness. Because the jaw is connected to the neck muscles, the neck can become very rigid and stiff. This can be extremely uncomfortable for those that experience this type of disorder with the jaw. With the next being under intense amounts of strain and pressure, nerve endings in the neck can cause the back to experience soreness. The reason for this is that the neck houses thousands of nerve endings that are connected all throughout the body. When the neck becomes sore and affected by TMJ, it is very easy for other nerve endings to go out of whack, which can cause the lower and upper back to experience pain.

Understanding how these two things are related is helping doctors, dentists, and orthodontists to understand the importance of dealing with TMJ issues. Many dentists are able to help reduce back pain and TMJ symptoms by using specialized mouth guards. These mouth guards help patients to bite a certain way, or move the jaw to a specific location when the mouth is closed. These types of therapies can greatly help when it comes to getting the pain to go away when it comes to TMJ and back related issues. If you suffer from TMJ and back pain, make sure to visit your dentist to see the latest and greatest when it comes to TMJ reducing treatments.

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DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular doctor(s) that is or is not affiliated with Top 3 Dentists Inc.