How To Deal With TMJ Pain
Posted on: 29 January 2015
The pain caused from having TMJ can at times be overwhelming. It can be as small as a minor ache or pain that radiates throughout your entire face, shoulders, and neck. While TMJ does not have a cure, there are several ways to reduce the amount of discomfort it causes you.
Relaxing Your Surrounding Muscles
The reason TMJ causes so much pain is because the joints that connect your jaw are not aligned properly. If you put less stress on those joints, it will lessen the pain that you experience when using your jaw.
Every single joint in your body uses muscles to control it, including your jaw. If you relax the muscles that help move your jaw, it will improve the discomfort that you feel. Stressed muscles are what put strain on the joints in your jaw, which creates joint misalignment.
Keeping Muscles Flexible
The key is to keep your muscles as flexible as possible so that it will keep stress to a minimum. One way you can do that is by simply maintaining good posture. Muscle stress in your neck and head can easily occur with bad posture problems. Things such as looking at a computer screen all day will pull on your shoulder and neck muscles, which connect to the jaw. Sitting straight instead of slouching forward can be a great way to relieve pain.
Massage therapy can be a great way to reduce TMJ related pain as well. A study was conducted in 2007 among 126 patients that suffer from TMJ. They concluded that of all the self care methods for reducing TMJ pain, massage was the best way to do it.
If you have a lot of stiffness in your joints, taking an anti-inflammatory pill can be a great way to reduce pain in joints that are affected. These pills are over-the-counter medications that do not require a prescription.
Avoiding Overworked Joints
Excessive chewing can overwork the joints in your jaw. Avoid crunchy foods and tough meats, and you will definitely see a reduction in TMJ pain. While soft foods are great for the joints in your jaw, chewing gum is not. The repetitive motion will leave your jaw feeling extra sore the following day.
In order to know the TMJ treatment that is right for you, be sure to speak with a dentist about it. They will help you come up with a plan of action how to reduce the annoying pain in your jaw.
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