Do you have jaw, neck, or shoulder pain or discomfort? Do you have persistent earaches, hearing problems, or headaches?
The following information may help.
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD) includes pain with your jaw and the muscle that control your jaw movement 
Common symptoms of TMJ Dysfunction include:
– Pain or tenderness in your teeth, face, jaw, neck, shoulders, ears with chewing, speaking, or when you open your mouth wide.
– “sticking”, “locking”, “clicking”, “popping”, swelling or grating sounds in the jaw with opening/closing/chewing.
– tired feeling in your face.
– uncomfortable bite.
– headaches, earaches, and hearing problems.
Some common culprits of this injury include:
– Grinding/Clenching of your teeth (eg. during intense activity and/or with psychological stress).
– Trauma.
– Arthritis within the joint.
– Poor posture and poor body mechanics.
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Here are some self-treatment options for TMJ Dysfunction:
– Moist heat or cold packs – Apply an ice pack to the area for about 10 min. Do a few simple jaw stretches, then hold a warm towel or washcloth to the area for about 5 minutes. Repeat a few times each day.
– Eat softer foods.
– Self massage of the masseter and/or temporalis in the following manner throughout the day:
- Rub three fingertips upwards and downwards over the muscles with moderate pressure for 30 – 60 seconds.
- Rub four knuckles over the muscles in a circular motion with moderate pressure for 30 – 60 seconds
Make it a great day!