TMJ disorder and Headaches
Painful Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder and regular headaches can be affecting 35 million Americans in their home and professional life. Are you one of them?
Here are some of the things my clients came in experiencing
- Less range of motion in jaw
- “clicking” or “popping” when opening and closing jaw
- Jaw locking
- Trouble chewing
- Waking up clenching their teeth and jaw
- Teeth grinding
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Ringing in ears
- Snoring
- Sleep Apnea
- Neck stiffness / discomfort
- Back pain
- Scoliosis
While there is dentistry that can help with TMJ problems there may be a greater consideration. Your Posture. With the digital world constantly in our faces, zoom meeting on the rise, teams to engage with coworkers, sitting in our studio apartments or less movement in our homes. These can all be contributing factors to our stress and postural issues.
Dr. Rachel Malterud, DMD, MPH from Minnesota Center for Minimally Invasive Dentistry reinforces that TMJ can be “affected by more that just the upper neck area of the spine (C1-C2) but the whole spine.”
Research demonstrates that correction of TMJ dysfunction requires postural correction of the head and cervical spine. Nikolakis et al. (2001) state, “a combination of exercise and manual therapy, correction of body posture, and relaxation techniques significantly alleviates jaw pain, restricted movement, and impairment.”
Wright et al.(2000) concludes that TMJ dysfunction self-management with posture training was more effective for correction and symptom relief than TMJ self-management alone.
If you are wondering how your posture “stacks up”, then a Yearly Postural Evaluation may be for you. This can be easily done virtually with Zoom followup or in person.
If you are ready to make an appointment than Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy (MAT) includes Posture Evaluation and treatment which can lessen your symptoms even on the first appointment.
Tammy Shaw-Sykes LMT, MMT, CPE, Cerg
Licensed Massage Therapist
Master of Myoskeletal™ Alignment Therapy
Certified Posture Expert
Certified Ergonomist
Founder of Shift Fitness & Massage