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Physical Therapy For TMJ Pain

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the area of connection between the jaw and the skull. This joint allows you to open and close your mouth for speaking, chewing, breathing, yawning, etc, so when this area becomes painful, it can greatly limit you in multiple ways. Patients often report they have had to discontinue eating certain hard foods or large foods due to the pain that comes from the TMJ when attempting to.

The treatment options for people dealing with TMJ pain are unfortunately very limited. Generally, dentists will prescribe a night guard to reduce teeth grinding, botox injections, or surgery to the jaw with varying success rates.

Did you know that many physical therapists are trained to treat TMJ disorders? Since physical therapists specialize in addressing joint and muscle pain, the TMJ and the surrounding muscles fall well within their area of expertise.

How Can a Physical Therapist Treat TMJ Pain?

  • Getting to the Root Cause: There are a variety of causes to TMJ pain including issues with the TMJ disc, issues with surrounding muscles on the mandible, cranial nerve injuries, and radiating neck issues. A physical therapist will perform an in-depth evaluation to determine the likely cause or causes related to your specific jaw pain.
  • Soft Tissue Work: Whether the issues are coming directly from the musculature surrounding the TMJ or referring from tight neck muscles, physical therapy can work on these tissues with a variety of manual therapy treatments to reduce the tension.
  • TMJ and Neck Exercises: Certain movements of the TMJ have been shown to help reduce pain stemming from the TMJ disc. Certain neck stretches and exercises can reduce TMJ pain that is referred from the neck itself. Depending on the source of the pain, a physical therapist can guide you through appropriate exercises to better self manage the issue.
  • Dry Needling: Dry needling involves inserting a thin needle directly into the musculature surrounding the TMJ in order to elicit micro trauma triggering the body to start a self healing response. This technique is one of the most direct ways to resolve TMJ issues

If you have been dealing with nagging jaw pain that is not resolving on its own or if you have had to discontinue eating certain foods due to pain, it’s time to find some relief. Find a local physical therapist who treats TMJ conditions.