TMJ SUCKS! The pain is referring your jaw up to your head. It gives you headaches, and that annoying clicking when you open your mouth is the worst!
There are all sorts of crazy therapies out there, ranging from mouthguards to Botox injections. Some provide temporary relief; some actually make it worse.
What most TMJ suffers are never told is that the best thing for it is probably manual therapy combined with exercise.
What is manual therapy?
Manual therapy is any hands-on technique that reduces pain. It includes massage, ART, PiezoWave, cupping, dry needling, and tool-assisted soft tissue work. The goal of manual therapy is to get rid of the pain and help you move better and then work particularly well for TMJ.
How is manual therapy used for treating TMJ?
We treat all the muscles around your head, neck, and jaw with specific tools best suited for the area. Specifically we use the PiezoWave, ART and sometimes dry needling to “release” the tight tissues and return the normal movement to your jaw.
Benefits of Manual Therapy in Treating TMJ
Manual therapy plus exercise for TMJ disorder consistently demonstrates improved function and reduction of pain for patients. Unfortunately, the two alone do not work. So yes, you have to do the home exercises to get it better, or it will not work.
Is Manual Therapy for TMJ Painful?
TMJ manual therapy is a tool to calm pain and reduce muscle tightness or joint stiffness, so most of the time, it is not a painful stimulus but a pain-relieving one. If you are in a ton of pain, we are not trying to make you hurt worse, so we will direct our treatment to other areas, such as your neck, rather than directly at or in your jaw.
As irritability and pain in your TMJ reduce, some techniques that cause mild discomfort, like a “hurts so good” sensation, may be used and chosen. This mild discomfort will yield improved jaw opening and eating/chewing performance. It will be paired with a home exercise program to help alleviate pain and strengthen opening and chewing tasks.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to live with TMJ! We can fix it for you so you can get back to enjoying things like eating!
Book Your TMJ Treatment HERE
