TMJ/TMD (Jaw Pain)

TMJ – Temporo-Mandibular Joint/ TMD- Temporomandibular Dysfunction

Dr. Reynolds has been trained in proper treatment of Jaw pain/clicking. Various soft tissue techniques, muscle activation, and movement corrections are very effective at treating TMJ/TMD.

Some Things that can cause or aggravate Jaw pain

• clenching throughout the day/night
• improper mouth opening
• poor posture which puts the temporomandibular joint at a poor position biomechanically and can increase mechanical stress to the joint
• excessive chewing and biting habits such as chewing gum, chewing on pens, tooth picks, fingernails, etc.
• High stress levels play a huge part of our jaw pain and clenching patterns.
• A poor immune system whether due to stress, diet, environment, etc.
• An upper chest dominant breathing pattern
• Increased muscle spasm or pains in or around the neck
• Headaches
• Food allergies/sensitivites

Dr. Reynolds will analyze your jaw to determine which therapies will be most beneficial to your individual condition. In most cases patient’s TMJ pain is due to the tension in the muscles around the joint and not actually a problem with the joint itself.  Dr. Reynolds will perform a few orthopedic tests to determine if your pain is due to a problem in the joint itself or just due to over-activity of the muscles around the joint.

In very tough cases sometimes splint therapy may be necessary, if this is the case, we will be able to make and order splints for you at the office.  Most often splint therapy is not needed and correcting a few on the main aggravators and seeking treatment to the muscles around the jaw and neck can help to relieve jaw pain.  Our tmj/tmd patient treatment generally consists of 6-8 visits at which individual case therapy may include

• soft tissue work to the neck/jaw
• muscle activation exercises for under-active muscle
• postural training
• correcting faulty mouth opening or protrusive habits
• home techniques for muscle lengthening/relaxation of over-active muscles
• joint mobilizations to the TMJ
• acupuncture
• awareness and correction of clenching
• restoring proper breathing and stabilization patterns
• chiropractic manipulation to the upper back and/or neck region.
• Rehabilitative exercises