Years ago (in a simpler time known as the 90s) middle school me was sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons eating baby carrots. While mid-chomp on a carrot my jaw suddenly locked and I couldn’t open my mouth again. As a young person this was terrifying! I didn’t know what was happening with my jaw except that it was incredibly uncomfortable as I worked to get the remaining carrot out of my mouth so I wouldn’t choke while I panicked. At the time the only person home was my mother who worked overnights as an oncology nurse. She had just gotten off a 12-hour shift so there was no way I was going to wake her. After several minutes of locked jaw and some slight panicking I ended up slowly maneuvering my jaw around until I was able to open it again. It was sore for several days, but my jaw was working again and that’s all I cared about.
I was incredibly cautious the several days following trying to keep my jaw from going wonky again, but since I wasn’t sure what caused it, I didn’t know how to avoid it. I eventually moved on and forgot about it, and it wasn’t until I was in my college anatomy class when finally learned what had happened to me all those years ago. Having learned from my own experience, I hope to shed some light on a very common issue I see as a chiropractor… Today we’re talking TMJ!
What is TMJ?
You’ve heard of it, you know it refers to the jaw, but do you know what it means? TMJ literally stands for temporomandibular joint because it’s where the temporal bone of the skull connects to the mandible (jaw bone), but what does it MEAN to have a TMJ disorder?
TMJ vs. TMD
Those with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) don’t typically walk into our office with a jaw complaint. Sure, maybe they’ve had clicking and popping in the jaw for a while, and/or pain with eating and yawning, but it’s “always been like that, and it’s manageable” so most people don’t think to get their jaw checked. So why do those with TMD walk into a chiropractic office if not to focus on their jaw? Because referral pain from TMD causes…*drumroll please*…HEADACHES! TMD is a HUGE contributor to headaches which, as I mentioned in a previous post, is the 3rd most common condition chiropractors treat. TMD most often affects middle-aged adults, women twice as often as men. Headaches triggered by TMD make parents unable to tend to the needs of their children, and breadwinners unable work. Being unable to provide for their family is a key motivator that brings these patients in for care to help manage the headaches.
Temporomandibular joint
The temporomandibular joint is a small but complicated joint. The jaw hinges and slides during movements allowing the jaw to move in 3 dimensions with the help of the 4 primary muscles of mastication (chewing). Within the joint itself lives an articular disc that’s made out of cartilage that moves out of the joint when the mouth opens, and into the joint when the mouth closes. As long as the cartilage disc moves like it’s supposed to, the jaw glides smoothly so you can talk, sing, chew, etc. If there is dysfunction of the disc and it doesn’t glide out of the joint like it’s supposed to, this can cause the jaw to lock open or closed. Dysfunction of this disc, or any of the muscles of mastication can cause inflammation of the joint which then can cause pain, leading to even MORE dysfunction, and eventually advancing into a temporomandibular disorder (TMD).
TMD and Chiropractic
There is a close relationship of nerves and muscles between the jaw and the upper neck, so when someone complains of jaw pain it’s USUALLY not an issue with the jaw itself, but actually referred pain radiating from the neck. This close relationship is the reason that TMD, neck pain, and headaches go hand in hand…in hand. Focusing on treating the neck with chiropractic adjustments in addition stretches and exercises has been shown to be the best method of addressing jaw pain and dysfunction as well as headaches. That being said, it’s completely possible to fix TMJ issues without ever touching the jaw. Weird, huh?
Science!
REFERENCE:
Corum, M., Basoglu, C., Topaloglu, M., Dıracoglu, D., Aksoy, C. (2018). Spinal high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation with exercise in women with chronic temporomandibular disorders. Manuelle Medizin, 56(3), 230-238. doi:10.1007/s00337-018-0406-5
