I have already had 4 jaw surgeries (2 arthroscopic and 2 open). My disks have been put in place, but I am still having a lot of pain. Don't get me wrong, the last 2 surgeries (the open ones) have been great, I no longer have migraines...but I still am having problems with eating food and headaches. I want to find a treatment that doesn't involve a lot of medications as I have done that before. Thanks for any help anyone has to offer.
2007-02-27 12:55:38 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
My TMJ is caused by facial trauma from years ago and the resulting joint damage from years of letting it go before we realized that it was more than grinding and clenching at night. I went through years of nightguards already with no success because of the joint being displaced. Any alternative methods would be great.
2007-03-06 14:19:09 · update #1
There are not that many but try and find a physical therapist in your area who specializes in TMJ dysfunction. I am a PT who also suffers from TMJ problems which I am able to treat on my own because of my background as a PT.
2007-02-27 14:36:29 · answer #1 · answered by Dan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A lot of what is diagnosed as TMJ is because of trigger points in the jaw area of the face... same principles below with the understanding that to get to all of them you probably need to have one finger in your mouth and an opposing one on the outside.
Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.
Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.
The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).
For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.
2007-03-02 15:56:13 · answer #2 · answered by Keko 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My hubby has had this and the dentist gave him a nightguard. Some people get nightguards because they grind their teeth when they sleep (not his problem), in his case, he was clenching his jaw together when he was sleeping. The night guard prevented him from clenching so tightly and the pain was gone almost immediately.
2007-03-06 10:32:27 · answer #3 · answered by kbib12 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people have been very happy with accupuncture. I have used it for more serious pain quite successfully.
2007-03-05 17:43:39 · answer #4 · answered by Jeanne B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only thing that I can think of is try using warm compresses to relax your jaw and possibly meditation.
2007-03-07 05:41:47 · answer #5 · answered by Veneta T 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋