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TMJ: Jaw and Face Pain Treatment
If you are suffering from jaw or face pain, it’s very likely, in our experience, that your pain is caused by tight muscles of your face, neck and shoulders. Left untreated, such muscular pain may become chronic and develop into a condition known as myofascial pain syndrome. Another, less common cause for pain in the face and jaw is a structural problem within the jaw joint (and possibly, an inflammation of the surrounding tissues). Read more about how you develop jaw and face pain >
Is jaw and face pain the same as TMJ?
No, TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, which is the joint that moves your jaw when you close or open your mouth. Everyone has a TMJ (just like everyone has a knee joint). There are many names for jaw and face pain in the medical community, but the general public most commonly uses the term “I have TMJ” when referring to pain experienced in the face and jaw. We will use the technically incorrect term “TMJ” when referring to pain in the face and jaw of any origin. Read more about TMJ and relevant medical terminology >
What is a typical treatment of jaw and face pain at New Body ~ New Mind?
At New Body ~ New Mind we have extensive experience and expertise in treatment of pain in the face and jaw (TMJ) and other associated musculoskeletal disorders including neck pain, headaches, tennitis, etc.
Our TMJ treatment protocols are developed to resolve structural causes of your pain, address perpetuating factors, and restore normal functioning of the jaw joints and the muscles of the face and neck-shoulder complex.
The most important part of your TMJ treatment is the initial evaluation, performed to determine possible causes of your jaw and face pain. During the evaluation we will:
- Analyze your medical history
- Review your present symptoms and learn what impact your jaw and face pain has on your work and everyday life
- Examine the alignment of your body
- Assess the function of your jaw and neck joints
- Evaluate the muscles and the fascia of your face, neck, shoulders and upper back
- Determine what the predisposing, causative, and perpetuating factors may be
Once we understand possible causes of your jaw and face pain, we work towards their resolution using the following treatment modalities:
- Passive manipulation of tight joints, ligaments, muscles and fascia using manual therapy techniques (e.g. gentle joint mobilization, trigger point release, myofascial release, soft tissue massage, and strain-counterstrain); craniosacral therapy may also be beneficial for some patients
- Physical relaxation training and body awareness training
- Posture re-education and movement retraining
- Individualized gentle stretching and strengthening exercises
- Hypnotherapy (if you are interested in learning how to manage stress, control teeth clenching or grinding, and optimize your posture using self-hypnosis)
Once your face and jaw pain is resolved, we begin to work on the retraining of your face, neck and shoulder muscles to ensure their proper activation during functional activities. The final goal of this phase is for you to understand what you need to do to stay pain-free and learn an appropriate home exercise program.
If you need dental appliance therapy, we will work with your dentist (or, if you don’t have a dentist who is a specialist in TMJ, we will gladly refer you to one). Read more about our treatment of TMJ >
“Teresa’s approach to therapy is practical and effective. Her manual therapy for my chronic TMJ-related discomfort has been incredibly helpful in managing an otherwise painful and potentially debilitating condition.” Read more about what former patients say >
Read more about TMJ:
Read patient testimonials:
Watch video testimonials and read what our former patients say about treatment for TMJ at New Body ~ New Mind.
Would you like to schedule an appointment?
To schedule an appointment, simply fill out our appointment request form online or give us a call at 617-969-8995.
