Osteopathic Treatment For Jaw Pain, By: Dr Vanessa Fisher - Osteopath
Choose Osteopathic Treatment to Help Relieve Your Symptoms of Jaw Pain
The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) better known as the jaw joint, is not an area of the body that a lot of people would think an Osteopath could treat. Like any other joint in the body, it is part of the musculo-skeletal system and therefore, when symptomatic, can be treated using a variety of osteopathic techniques.
There are a number of theories about what causes jaw dysfunction and how most TMJ syndromes occur. The onset of symptoms tends to develop over a long period of time, often years after the initial problem began. As the joint is primarily controlled by muscles, it is believed that the syndrome is often a secondary effect of muscular dysfunction.
Typical symptoms of a TMJ sufferer:
- Localised jaw pain – usually dull ache which can radiate along the cheek bone, lower jaw and into the neck, which is particularly worse in the morning
- Neck pain and stiffness – particularly in the upper neck
- Joint noise – cracking, clicking or popping – upon opening and during eating
- Limited mouth opening – caused by the tightening of the closing muscles of the jaw
- Headaches – which can last for days
- Jaw locking
- Deviation of lower jaw on opening
If you are suffering with jaw pain and find medication is not helping to relieve the symptoms, click below to read more about how Osteopathy can help you on the road to recovery.
