Massage Therapy and TMJ

Have you ever wondered if massage therapy can help relieve the pain and discomfort of TMJ? The good news is that it can. In fact, millions of people who suffer from the condition can get relief by visiting a chiropractor who can diagnose and treat TMJ in a number of ways, including using massage.

How do people know whether they have a problem with TMJ? In most cases, they notice a sort of stiff, strange feeling in and around the jaw. Others have more obvious symptoms, like facial, neck, or jaw-related pain that never seems to go away completely.

If that describes you, then you should visit a chiropractic physician and get checked out for temporomandibular joint dysfunction, a jaw-breaker of a term that is abbreviated variously as TMJ, TMJD, or TMD.

Whatever you call it, the condition can be annoyingly painful and uncomfortable and should motivate you to head to a chiropractor's office asap. By the way, don't be confused if you hear other terms for the same condition, including temporomandibular syndrome, "TMJ syndrome," and similar terms. They all refer to the same thing.

It's essential to understand that many medical professionals can treat TMJ with a number of approaches, including massage of the affected areas, like the jaw, face, neck, and even the back of the head. Every sufferer should also learn the basics of what the condition is as well as the most common symptoms, causes, and treatments.

The Basic Definition

Keep in mind that there are several different kinds of TMJ, but all of them are related to the specific jaw-to-skull joint and the musculature in and around that area.

When those particular muscles become painful, you might notice that doing very basic daily activities brings on discomfort. For example, sufferers often discover that speaking, yawning, drinking liquids, eating food, swallowing, or moving the head brings on a bout of pain.

There are numerous causes of TMJ, but most have to do with over-exertion of the affected muscles. Don't be surprised if your chiropractor informs you that the pertinent muscles are worn out from too much movement and have become swollen or are experiencing inflammation.

Likewise, the related TMJ pain can lead to a tender feeling in the jaw, mouth, face, neck, ears, and pretty much anywhere above the neckline.

While it's true that some cases of TMJ are mild and easily treated, others can be quite serious and interfere with a person's ability to eat a meal or speak clearly. In fact, in some extreme cases, TMJ patients can't even open their mouths all the way or swallow without severe discomfort.

Massage as a Treatment

Chiropractic doctors have many tools in their arsenal to deal with TMJ. One is massage therapy, which can often bring quick and lasting relief for lots of sufferers. How does massage work to alleviate the symptoms and deal with the original causes of TMJ?

You might need to wear a plastic jaw guard to prevent nighttime jaw grinding. Sometimes a chiropractor will recommend cold or warm packs for pain relief, but doctors will usually work to deal with the root causes rather than just the symptoms.

Here's how massage can help, whether it's administered by your doctor or by you, after receiving thorough instruction from your chiropractor:

• Stretching-Related Techniques: The doctor, when using this technique of massage therapy to treat the effects of TMJ, will use both thumbs to gently knead the areas directly above the muscles on either side of your mandibular (jaw) area. Most people experience instant relief from the associated TMJ pain when a chiropractor performs this move.
  
• Circular Methods: Moving the fingers or thumbs in a circular motion directly on the areas of pain, wherever they happen to be located in or near the jaw muscles, is often called circular-kneading. It is often done directly beneath the bones of the cheek and toward the rear of the jaw.
  
• Direct Finger Pressure: Finger-pressure is the simplest and often the first type of massage therapy used to decrease immediate pain in the muscles of the jaw. You can try it yourself by using the tip of the index finger and placing it on the area where you are experiencing the most pain.
  
  Don't overdo the pressure at first. Instead, apply just a slight amount of direct pressure to the painful spot for a few seconds, and then remove your finger. Repeat a few times, allowing for about 30 seconds between applications.

Typical Symptoms and Causes

For people who fight a daily battle with the inconvenience, discomfort, and outright pain of TMJ, it's imperative to know the typical symptoms and causes of the condition. Only in this way can they make an informed decision about what kind of care to seek.

The truth is that, when it comes to symptoms and causes, there are dozens of reasons a person can end up with TMJ. In common situations, the jaw muscles become exhausted from working too hard, and the result is pain or tense areas on the face and jaw.

You might discover that your TMJ is a result of that kind of muscular overwork or simply due to clenching the muscles or grinding your jaw during sleep.

TMJ disorder comes in many varieties and has dozens of causes, which is why no two people tend to show up in a chiropractor's office with the exact same symptoms. For instance, common arthritis, vehicular accidents, genetic tendencies, psychological conditions, and so many other things can lead to TMJ. Likewise, the symptoms are equally numerous.

Here's a quick overview of some of the most typical symptoms. Don't be surprised if you experience one, some, all, or none of them. That's how variable TMJ disorder is.

• Numbness or a "pins and needles" feeling in the fingers of either hand, or in both hands
  
• Non-infection related ear ringing
  
• Sensitive teeth, even if you don't usually have related dental issues
  
• Sounds that resemble clicks or pops when you move your jaw or open your mouth all the way
  
• Nighttime teeth-clenching or teeth-grinding
  
• Unexplained pain in the shoulders, facial muscles, neck area, or toward the rear of the eyes
  
• The inability to open your mouth all the way, or at all
  
• Unusual bouts of dizziness or recurrent headaches
  
• A sore jaw, in any of the muscles surrounding the mandible, or even mild discomfort in the jaw

Don't Let TMJ Interfere With Your Life

If you suffer from TMJ, there's actually some very good news. The disorder is fully treatable as long as you get help from a qualified professional and follow the treatment plan they give you. Additionally, expect your chiropractic physician to use one or another version of massage therapy as part of the total treatment regimen for the condition.

At Delaware Integrative Healthcare, we have years of experience working with, treating, and advising sufferers of TMJ. Fortunately, there are multiple treatment strategies and everyone tends to respond to at least one of them. Plus, there's no need for surgery or drugs when you are dealing with TMJ.

The entire Delaware Integrative Healthcare team welcomes questions you might have, so don't hesitate to give a call to any of our locations to schedule an appointment. If your TMJ pain is going from mild to worse, consider booking an appointment as soon as possible.

Like most physical conditions, the sooner you get treatment for TMJ, the better the chance for a full, speedy recovery. We look forward to hearing from you. Don't let TMJ pain get in the way of living a full, active life.