Over 10 million Americans suffer from a jaw pain condition called TMJ. The symptoms range from popping to difficulty chewing and swallowing.
If you have TMJ, how should you treat your symptoms? Medicating your pain may seem like a quick fix, but it’s a short-term solution that won’t address the root of the issue. The only way to resolve it permanently is to treat the cause.
TMJ disorders are issues with the temporomandibular joint. This joint moves in many directions, making it prone to misalignment and other issues.
That’s why seeing a chiropractor for TMJ pain is one of the most effective solutions.
A chiropractor will work to find and resolve the cause of your pain. Here are the reasons why you should see a chiropractor for TMJ and how their treatment helps.
Identifying TMJ Pain
Before seeing a chiropractor for TMJ pain, how do you know if that’s the condition you’re suffering from? TMJ is experienced differently by everyone, but the pain is usually serious.
If you have some slight popping, aching, or tenderness, that may not be TMJ. Rather, you may be suffering from some short-term injury that will heal on its own. But even if these mild symptoms persist for a while, it’s best to visit a chiropractor to make sure.
Typically, TMJ pain is more intense. Common symptoms include:
- Jaw or neck and shoulder pain
- Jaw or neck and shoulder stiffness
- Jaw tension
- Popping sounds
- Headaches
In more serious cases, the symptoms can advance to dizziness or vision problems.
TMJ has also been linked to other conditions in the body, including:
- IBS
- Fibromyalgia
- Insomnia
- Depression
TMJ problems can be brought on by trauma, such as whiplash from an accident. But in other instances, it’s the result of something simple, like grinding your teeth. In either case, see a chiropractor for TMJ treatment.
Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor for TMJ Pain
Chiropractor treatment manipulates muscles, joints, nerves, and ligaments. This soft tissue massage manipulates the jaw area to fix issues causing your pain, such as misalignment. The following are benefits you can expect from seeing a chiropractor for TMJ.
Reduce Pain and Tension
The goal of TMJ treatment is to relieve pain in the jaw and surrounding areas. Your chiropractor will first work to loosen the muscles in the area. This should begin to relieve tension.
With less tension, symptoms like stiffness and reduced movement will begin to subside. This should increase your range of comfortable movement back to a typical level.
If you’re still experiencing the pain once your jaw is relaxed, your chiropractor can focus on isolating the cause.
If the pain is not resolved by increasing the range of movement and relieving tension, the physician can look elsewhere in the body. Muscles in the neck or even further parts of the body may be responsible. Poor posture is also a risk factor for developing TMJ and could be the cause.
Over several sessions, your chiropractor will isolate the cause of the pain and resolve it.
Improve Function
Serious TMJ symptoms can include difficulty eating and swallowing food or even choking. Even these serious symptoms may be the result of simple misalignment. Over time, chiropractor manipulation can restore your jaw’s function and help you get rid of all your jaw-related symptoms and issues.
Chiropractor treatment is a gentle process. Regaining a typical level of jaw function will take more than one session. Gradually though, chiropractor massage and manipulation will adjust your jaw to make day-to-day life much easier.
Non-Invasive Solution
Non-invasive solutions describe treatment options that manipulate the body from the outside, such as chiropractic treatment. Why is the non-invasive approach best for TMJ treatment?
First, non-invasive solutions don’t cause trauma to the body. There’s no recovery time or hospitalization needed after treatment. This gentle approach gradually makes changes that your body can cope with, unlike invasive surgical options that can involve up to 12 weeks of recovery.
Second, non-invasive treatments are reversible. They do not make permanent changes to the jaw’s position or structure. Reversible treatment, such as chiropractic massage, is the National Institute of Health’s recommended approach for TMJ treatment.
Whole-Body Approach
Some TMJ disorders are caused not by a problem in the jaw but elsewhere in the body. Most other treatment options, though, will focus on the jaw and surrounding muscles.
If your root cause lies elsewhere, such as spinal misalignment, treating jaw muscles alone isn’t a complete solution.
Chiropractic treatment is one of the only treatment options that look for TMJ causes throughout the body. Your treatment won’t only focus on the jaw itself but misalignment throughout the body that could be the cause, such as the poor posture connection mentioned earlier. Therefore, with the chiropractic approach, you can be sure your TMJ treatment is addressing the root of the pain.
Seeing a Chiropractor for TMJ in Las Vegas
Getting treatment from a chiropractor for TMJ is the best way to start your healing journey. The gradual muscle manipulation relieves pain and tension without causing more trauma.
If you happen to need additional treatment, your chiropractor can help you determine the best course of action. They’ll guide you through different options, such as acupuncture and surgery. But always start your treatment the non-invasive way!
Are you suffering from jaw pain that sounds like TMJ? Let us help! We’ve been relieving TMJ pain for patients in Las Vegas since 1993.
Schedule your first session today!
