About TMJ and TMJ disorders
Sometimes referred to as ‘’prisoners of pain’’ people who suffer from TMJ disorder know that living with the condition can be a real grind.
Although both men and women can experience TMJ problems; 90 percent of those seeking treatment are women in their childbearing years.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has indicated that over 10 million people in the United States suffer from TMJ problems at any given time.
Definition and location of TMJ - Temporomandibular Joint
“TMJ” is not a condition (as some seem to think). Rather it’s the name of the jaw joint.
T = temporal (as in temporal bone of the skull), M = mandible, the jaw bone, J = joint.
The TMJ is located directly in front of the ear on either side of the head where the upper and lower jaws meet. If you put a finger on the triangular structure in front of the ear and open and close your mouth, you will feel it.
What makes the TMJ different from other joints?
While similar to other joints in that it is composed of bones, ligaments, disks, cartilage, joint fluid, nerves and blood vessels, the TMJ’s design is unique; enabling the lower jaw to have a wide range of movement - from side-to-side, forward-and-backward, up-and-down, and “open wide”.
Because of their location, the Jaw Joints are the pathway for many motor and sensory activities to and from the brain to the rest of the body.
*(1) RESET practitioners go so far as to say that neurologically, the TMJ involves about 30-40% of the sensory motor neurons of the body. Think about that. Consider your whole body, and then imagine that of the total neurons for sensory motor, input/output, the jaw occupies 30–40%. Its unlikely God just made a mistake – so this must be significant!
How to check for possible TMJ disorders
Look at yourself in the mirror. Open and close your mouth slowly. It should open wide enough to fit your first three knuckles (bent) of your hand into the opening. The opening and closing action should be straight, even and smooth with no clicks, pops or grinding.
Some symptoms of TMJ disorders
According to traditional and alternative medical practitioners, disorders to the jaw joints can upset the delicate balance of our neuromuscular-skeletal systems.
Besides the more obvious ones including inability to open or close the mouth freely, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, headache, face pain, eye pain, ringing in the ears, ear pain, deafness, dizziness, tooth ache, tooth grinding and Temporomandibular joint syndrome, which is a slow, painful failure of jaw joint function, there are more peculiar seemingly unrelated symptoms, including – mitral valve failure, leg cramps, fatigue, whole body muscle pain and many more.
Some alternative medical practitioners take this a step further; *(2) N.O.T. practitioners for example, who go by the premise that over 1000 conditions can be caused by problems with the TMJ - urine / bladder control problems and bedwetting, chronic back and pubic problems, prostate, uterine and ovarian problems, haemorrhoids, hiatus hernia, all valvular problems, problems relating to the integrity of all muscles below the diaphragm including abdominal and pelvic floor muscle weakness, including uterine prolapse for example.
Helen Moulster, who heads up Wonderful Women in Johannesburg, South Africa, says “I am living testament of how grinding the jaw can affect other muscles, for example the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the neck which goes into spasm and “closes” the space that the Eustachian tube has – which in turn affects balance (vestibular system), and causes dizziness, nausea and chronic fatigue.
My *(2) N.O.T. training and background has also taught me that each gluteus medius muscle (the smaller “butt” muscle) is specifically reactive to the opposite masseter muscle. And I can personally vouch for that.
Traditional medicine or alternative, no matter which side of the medical divide you are on, it’s clear that TMJ problems are not to be taken lightly.
The masseter and other jaw muscles
Every component of the TMJ contributes to its smooth operation - including the muscles. The main jaw muscles are located in the temples, sides of the face, and front of the neck.
Pain can arise when any of the jaw muscles become overworked, the masseter especially.
Stretching from the underside of the cheekbone to the anterior surface of the jawbone, the masseter muscle is –
- Your primary chewing muscle.
- The muscle that is most responsible for jaw clenching and tooth grinding . . .
- . . . which makes it the single most common location for *(3) trigger points in the body
- Possibly our strongest muscle. During chewing we exert about 25 lb (11kg) per square inch (25.4mm). A severe jaw clencher can do up to 10 times that.
Teeth grinding or Bruxism
Teeth grinding is linked to anxiety in some people. At least 10% of the population will grind their teeth at some time in their lives. Most will do it unconsciously at night, and unless they have a spouse who complains about the noise (grinding can sound far worse than even the worst snoring) many will be completely unaware of it!
The Bruxism Association in the UK claims that since the recent economic downturn, Bruxism is a phenomenon that’s on the increase.
With many dentists failing to spot the condition until significant damage has occurred to the teeth, Bruxism tends to often go unrecognised and untreated. This is worrying because apart from destroying the teeth, Bruxism can lead to enlarged and fatigued jaw muscles; resulting in pain or sometimes muscle spasm. It can also sometimes even alter jaw alignment and the shape of a person’s mouth or face.
Treating TMJ disorders and Bruxism
A. Emotionally
Some say that the only way TMJ disorders can be resolved is to deal with the underlying emotional issues that are almost certainly contributing to the problem – job stress or marital problems for example. By understanding the root cause, it will help you to release the problem. Otherwise, treatment will only provide temporary relief—a couple of months later you'll be getting it again.
Although this is a good idea in principle, living in modern times, it may not be possible to escape all stress.
B. Physically
Exercise would definitely help anyone to manage stress better – including jaw clenchers or ‘Bruxers’. To help minimise the chance of muscle spasm occurring - there is also much to be said for strengthening the core of the body through exercise such as Pilates or press-ups.
Stress-busting spa treatments and deep-tissue massage or physiotherapy to treat muscle tension would also be helpful.
C. Dental Treatments
Conventional treatment by dentists usually begins with getting patients to wear a custom-fitted clear acrylic custom fitted mouthpiece at night. Not only does this protect the teeth from grinding damage - but can also help to stabilise and reduce clenching significantly, allowing both you and your hyperactive jaw muscles to rest.
Repair in the form of crowns, veneers and bridge work might be needed for teeth that have been grinding for years. A dentist may also need to remove the ‘high spots’ of a tooth by reshaping its surface.
D. Alternative treatments
Injections of Botox have been shown to be effective in relaxing the masseter muscle and preventing clenching and grinding. Though neither a recognised nor permanent cure, many people do request the treatment.
E. Self Massage
Whose jaw isn’t tense? Fortunately it’s easy enough to reach and massage all of the jaw muscles. And with the masseter, there is even a “perfect spot” for self-massage conveniently located in a notch under the cheekbone, about one inch in front of your ears.
While the rest of the muscle feels either unpleasantly tender or neutral, if you press firmly inward and upwards with your thumb in this particular notch you will be rewarded with a “good” ache. This is a strong body part. So you can press hard if that’s what it seems to want.
If you suspect you may be suffering from TMJ disorder, find the help you need today. Through improved awareness and proper care you can only add to your quality of life.
Helpful sites: www.tmjoints.org, www.ctds.info.
Notes:
*(1) & (2): RESET and N.O.T.
It is said that the body doesn’t lie. Kinesiology is a holistic approach to health care which uses muscle testing to speak directly with the body and in this way tap into its inherent truthfulness.
Often, when we have problems, we are not consciously aware of the causes. So asking a sufferer what the problem is may not always provide the answers. By “asking” the body directly with muscle testing, the Kinesiologist claims they can identify the primary causes - by removing either conscious or unconscious interference by the client. (Either because by deliberately withholding information or simply trying to please the therapist.)
If a muscle tests relatively weak in response to a question just asked of it by the Kinesiologist, then an imbalance has been uncovered and the appropriate correction is used to restore balance. Once the body has been re-balanced, then the muscle that previously tested weak should now test strong.
Neural Organisation Technique (N.O.T) is not Kinesiology, but a system accepted by Kinesiology.
Based on the four primal survival systems including Feeding, Flight / Fight, Reproductive and Immune (or Limbic) systems, N.O.T. practitioners believe that the body holds the memory of all incidents that have happened. And that these are held in a memory bank, under the circumstances in which they happened. N.O.T. specifically reorganises / re-trains the nervous system in order for us to function in the manner in which we were designed.
(Notes above used with acknowledgement and thanks to the late Dr. Carl A Ferreri DC PhC, the founder of N.O.T.)
Developed and researched by Philip Rafferty, a Melbourne based Kinesiologist, the theory behind RESET is that neurologically the TMJ involves about 30-40 % of the sensory motor neurons of the body. Think about that; consider your whole body and then imagine that of the total neurons for sensory motor, input/output, the jaw occupies 30–40%. This simply has to be significant!
They then go a step further and look at the feet. Each foot holds 25 bones. That is 20% of the bones for the entire body when you consider both feet. Based on the RESET model, which suggests that overall body alignment is affected by TMJ, it makes sense that foot problems (yes, even wearing improper shoes) affect the pelvis (sacrum) which in turn affects the TMJ.
RESET practitioners claim that the treatment provides many benefits including; more stability in hip, knee and foot muscles, less tension in 80% of muscles in the body, less headaches, sinus problems and migraines, improved digestion and assimilation of food, more balanced glands and hormones and finally improved toxin elimination through the kidneys.
*(3). Trigger Points
Trigger points play a role in treating painful muscle spasm. Here’s the theory:
As inflammation occurs within the body, our brain attempts to localize the inflammation
1. First it creates a muscle spasm that effectively creates a splinting affect of the muscle.
2. Movement is restricted and pain ensues.
3. Circulation is impeded and inflammatory by-products create further inflammation in the already inflamed muscle bands.
4. This creates increased muscle spasm and so the vicious cycle continues.
Unfortunately in the case of chronic pain and dysfunction, these trigger points can become a “normal” part of our physical landscape. The nervous system does not attempt to heal them, as it doesn’t recognize these areas as needing healing.
By manipulating trigger points with either electrical stimulation (TENS machines), needles or massage therapy, within the inflamed area that’s in a spasm, this signals the nervous system to begin healing. As healing begins to occur at the site of the fresh injury (the trigger point area just manipulated) not only does the new injury begin to be healed but the older chronic condition also begins to be healed.
