“Eating good food is, to me, one of life’s greatest joys, and I will never punish myself for it.”
Miriam Shor
General Overview:
Jaw pain, TMJ, and TMD issues are very common in our office. It is estimated that over 10 million and perhaps as many as 36 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic jaw pain.
This post is an introduction to the dis-ease, its’ common symptoms, and many of the different causes for TMD. In future posts we will go over different aspects in greater detail as well as specific things you can do to help free yourself from this challenging issue.
Common Symptoms:
The most common symptoms are:
- Ear symptoms such as stuffiness, ringing, or pressure issues
- Headaches
- Neck and upper shoulder muscle pain
- Jaw pain
- Clicking or grating sounds in the jaw
- Decreased ability to open the mouth
- Dizziness
- Pain and tingling in the arms and hands
- Difficultly swallowing
By far the most common symptom I see in the office is chronic headaches (2-3X a week on average). These headaches are often described as “coming up from the neck into the skull (base of the neck).
Common Causes:
Like most chronic issues there are many different causes (contributing factors) to chronic jaw pain.
- Issues with the TMJ joint itself either from trauma or dental issues.
- Issues with how the joint moves. This is primarily related to muscle tension or previous trauma.
- Issues related to other chemical problems such as chronic inflammation or fibromyalgia.
- Mental-emotional stress and anxiety.
Interestingly in a study done by one of my teachers almost 66% (more than half) of people suffering with chronic jaw pain reported three or more additional (and related) health conditions. The most frequent were fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic headaches, depression, and insomnia.
Up Next: What Helps?
