Jaw Pain - A Sore Subject?

This week lets talk a little bit about Jaw Pain / TMJ Pain!

The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) connects the mandible (jaw bone) and the temporal bone of the skull. It acts as hinge joint allowing the mouth to open and close, as well as move from side to side and forwards and backwards.

Jaw pain can be caused by lots of reasons, commonly from grinding teeth at night, or extensive clenching (bruxism), often caused by stress. Other causes can be arthritis, previous injury to the jaw, damage / wearing down of the disc in the joint, connective tissue disorders, damage during oral surgery, hormonal factors related to estrogen levels, or genetic predispositions. Jaw pain can be local to the area but can also cause aching facial pain or can refer down the side of the neck and cause headaches.

Signs and symptoms of TMJ joint dysfunction are:

- Pain and tenderness on palpation of the muscles around the jaw, externally and internally.

- Preauricular pain (pain felt just in front of the ear).

- Pain that is aggravated movements such as chewing, clenching, or yawning, and is often worse upon waking.

- Limited range of movement in the jaw, which could cause difficulty eating or talking.

- Noise in jaw movements such as as clicking, popping, or crepitus (grating).

Jaw pain is something I love to treat as I find the release of the masseter muscles (the bulk at the side of the cheek that help with chewing) and the muscles beneath the jaw that connect the hyoid bone (where I am treating the in picture at the top of the page) can also help relieve neck pain. This particular patient had a long history of contact sport and being hit in the face from side, therefore causing chronic jaw pain that’s worse at night.

So if you find you have an achey jaw, particularly noticeable when you wake up, trouble chewing or opening your mouth, or neck pain that won’t shift then it’s worth having it checked by an osteopath or local manual therapist.

*consent gained for this picture to be taken and posted*

Thanks for reading and see you in next weeks blog!

Anna