Causes of Jaw Pain and What Can Help
If you have eaten, laughed, yawned, or talked, then you have used your temporomandibular joint. This hardworking joint whose name is quite a mouthful is also known as the TMJ. This joint is responsible for the movement of your jaw, and moves anywhere between 2,000 to 3,000 times a day! (1) You can feel your TMJ by placing your finger on the edge of your jawbone just in front of your ear canal. When you open and close your mouth, you can feel this joint engage. It even has a disc in the joint capsule - like the discs between each vertebrae in your spine- to assist in its function.
Many people are affected by pain or discomfort in this joint, a condition known as TMJ disorder (TMJD) which can manifest in the following ways:
Pain in the face, jaw, or teeth
Headaches
Earaches
Noises such as clicking or grating in the joint
Decreased range of motion when opening the mouth
Stress and anxiety, grinding or clenching of teeth, an injury to the area, and even posture can contribute to TMJ dysfunction. For example, if you habitually clench your jaw from stress, anger or even holding back what you want to say, there are muscles in your face that are working overtime which can lead to irritation and pain. Head posture is important when considering the TMJ as well. Inefficient head positioning can cause tension to the structures involved in jaw movement which leads to pain and irritation not just in the jaw itself, but in the muscles of the face, neck, and even shoulders. Even overall body posture can affect the way the jaw moves. The way we stand, hold our hips and balance on our feet can cause our head to move off of its normal position centered over the spine and cause a shift in the jaw. Even tension in the deep core and pelvic floor can contribute to TMJ dysfunction.
Massage therapy can have a positive effect on improving TMJ dysfunction. The benefit is twofold:
Massage decreases stress and anxiety, which contribute to teeth clenching and grinding, and
Hands-on massage techniques can ease tension in the muscles of head, neck and jaw, as well as improving postural issues contributing to head, neck and jaw misalignment.
Using techniques addressing muscles all around the body, you and your practitioner can work together to lessen the symptoms of TMJD. Treatment of the jaw can sometimes involve accessing muscles through the mouth. Your practitioner will ask your permission to do this work and will wear surgical gloves to do this work.
Keep laughing, eating, singing, and doing all the wonderful things an optimally functioning temporomandibular joint can allow!
