TMJ

What is TMJ?

TMJ disorder is an inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, the joint connecting your skull and jawbone. TMJ disorder can be a short-term problem or long-lasting, and it’s twice as common in women as men.

TMJ disorder is marked by pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that enable you to move your jaw. If you’re experiencing persistent tenderness or pain in your jaw, it’s best to contact Conscious Chiropractic & Acupuncture to determine whether you have TMJ disorder and address your condition.

What causes TMJ disorder?

Muscle tension in your jaw is the most common cause of TMJ. Left untreated, this tension can lead you to grind your teeth, a condition known as bruxism. A jaw injury, arthritis, and some connective tissue diseases can increase your risk of getting TMJ disorder.

What are the symptoms of TMJ disorder?

TMJ disorder generally causes varying degrees of pain, including pain in one or both of your temporomandibular joints. Other symptoms include:

• Jaw pain
• Jaw tenderness
• Ear pain or aching
• Pain while chewing
• Difficulty chewing
• Aching facial pain

The disorder may make it difficult to open and close your mouth. You also may notice a grating sensation or clicking sound while chewing or opening your mouth.

What is the treatment for TMJ disorder?

Most cases of TMJ disorder don’t require surgical treatment. At Conscious Chiropractic & Acupuncture, the team targets the root cause of your TMJ disorder by mobilizing the joint and releasing muscle tension in your jaw muscles and surrounding tissues.

Conscious Chiropractic & Acupuncture provides a number of holistic and integrative modalities to address TMJ. Acupuncture may help to unblock the affected meridians around your jaw to reduce tension. Other methods include:

• Activator protocol
• Physical therapy
• Cold laser
• Chinese herbal medicine

Many patients notice a significant improvement in their symptoms after 3-5 sessions at Conscious Chiropractic & Acupuncture, although individual results vary.

What is cupping for TMJ disorder?

Cupping is a Chinese medical approach that goes back thousands of years. The ancient therapy may ease the muscle tension and pain of TMJ disorder by drawing toxins out of your muscles with suction cups.

Although cupping may cause discoloration that can take up to two weeks to go away, individuals often find that the benefits of cupping outweigh the side effects.

The team at Conscious Chiropractic & Acupuncture typically recommends cupping in combination with other noninvasive techniques to fully address your muscle tension and jaw pain.

For relief from TMJ disorder, call Conscious Chiropractic & Acupuncture or request a consultation online.