You might not realize just how much your jaw can affect you until you start experiencing pain. Many people have heard of TMJ after talking with their dentist about teeth grinding, teeth clenching, and crackling sounds in the jaw bones. What many people don’t realize is that physical therapy can actually help with jaw pain symptoms due to a condition like TMD or an injury to the jaw. If you struggle with jaw pain while you are eating or have jaw pain that keeps you up at night, visit an Atlanta physical therapy office to learn more about how a physical therapist can help you.
What Causes Jaw Pain?
One of the most common acronyms, TMJ, actually refers to the joints in your jaws called the temporomandibular joints. You can develop a TMJ disorder when the functioning of these joints or the jaw muscles is affected due to an injury to the jaw, arthritis, teeth and bite misalignment, or genetics. Often times multiple factors contribute to jaw pain and developing a TMJ disorder. There are two temporomandibular joints on either side of your mouth that connect your skull to your jawbone, acting as a hinge for your mouth to open and close. Any type of damage or injury to this area can develop into jaw pain that can really negatively impact your daily life.
Diagnosing and Treating Jaw Pain
When you have jaw pain that won’t go away, it is time to see a doctor for a formal diagnosis. Your doctor will want to know what type of symptoms you have been experiencing in addition to your jaw pain. In addition to pain in the jaw muscles and around the jaw joint itself, you may also experience tenderness and aching. Some people with jaw pain also experience pain in and around the ear. Difficulty chewing is also common with joint pain. Your doctor will determine what is causing these symptoms, like a jaw injury, chronic clenching or grinding of teeth, or even arthritis. Depending on what is causing your jaw pain will inform what kind of treatment approach will be best for you.
In order to diagnose jaw pain and develop a fully informed treatment plan, your doctor may perform a physical exam and utilize diagnostic imaging tools for further information. Common aspects of a jaw examination may include gently pressing on your jaw and surrounding areas to determine specific pain sites, feeling and listening to your jaw as you open and close your mouth, and assessing your jaw’s range of motion. Your dentist may run X-rays to view your teeth and jaw area. A doctor may also run a CT scan or MRI to view more detailed images of the bones, joints, and surrounding tissues.
Physical Therapy for Jaw Pain
Atlanta physical therapy can provide you with stretches and exercises that can strengthen your jaw muscles and help improve your range of motion. Your physical therapist will help you determine the most natural resting place for your jaw, which is where it is naturally positioned when your mouth is closed and your jaw muscles are disengaged. Certain stretches and exercises can help relax your jaw, reduce clicking or crackling sounds in the jaw, and promote healing.
A physical therapist may also recommend alternating cold and hot compresses to help address any inflammation, stiffness, and soreness. These remedies can typically be done at home and as a supplement to your regularly scheduled Atlanta physical therapy treatments. Other home remedies your physical therapist may recommend could include cutting your food into smaller bites, eating soft foods, and avoiding chewy foods and candies like gum.
When jaw pain is caused by habits like teeth grinding or clenching, a physical therapist can help you identify triggers for these tension-related habits, which will ultimately help you avoid the behavior. Cutting back on habits that cause you to overuse your jaw muscles can help you experience lasting relief from jaw pain. Some habits are more benign and you might not even realize how much they are contributing to your jaw pain. This can include sleeping on your stomach, frequently sitting with your chin rested on your hands, or even bracing your phone between your ear and shoulder while talking.
Don’t let jaw pain rule your life! Visit one of our doctors at AICA Orthopedics in Atlanta for physical therapy and get started on treatment with long-lasting pain relief.
