Pain associated with TMJ disorders — a type of temporomandibular disorder or TMD — may be due to a combination of factors, such as genetics, arthritis or jaw injury. The pain and uncomfortable symptoms may include pain in the jaw and neck, popping or cracking sounds in the ear, and headaches.
Many people who experience TMJ have been told by their dentist or oral surgeon that they grind their teeth. Clenching in the neck, face, and jaw — due to stress and posture — can cause pain, too.
Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy is here to help. They can help you control pain, through posture and exercise training. Owner Jennifer Penrose, who specializes in treating TMJ, is equipped with expert training and has found physical therapy very effective in alleviating pain and discomfort due to TMJ.
“It all comes back to posture,” Penrose says. “There’s really an education piece to the treatment.”
Penrose recommends this basic exercise for instant relaxation of your jaw muscles: Sit with your teeth apart, jaw relaxed, with your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth. Unless you are eating or talking, this is the position your jaw and mouth should be in all day. Making this posture a habit will greatly improve your TMJ symptoms.
Once a client comprehends how the face, jaw, and neck muscles work together, she explains, tightness and stiffness can begin to release. With exercises and posture practice, pain and discomfort can be relieved all together.
For more information on how to get help with your TMJ pain, or any other lifestyle or injury pain, visit Penrose & Associates Physical Therapy online.
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