TMJ pain relief

TMJ pain relief

One in four Americans suffers from temporomandibular joint or jaw joint problems. Symptoms can range from the clicking of the joint when it opens to severe debilitating pain. Not only the jaw joint can be affected, but also the back of the head, shoulders and neck. Less recognized affected areas include: lower back pain and tingling in the fingertips and toes. If left untreated, the acute symptoms can become chronic and lead to arthritis, loss of movement in the limbs, and extremely cold feeling in the hands and legs. These symptoms may occur temporarily without recurrence or last for years.

So what is responsible for TMJ pain and other related conditions? One of the main factors in TMJ pain is stress or emotional upheaval. This can lead to clenching and/or bruxism (grinding) of the teeth. Trauma to the temporomandibular joint is also responsible for a large number of temporomandibular joint disorders. Even a small blow to the joint can cause this inflammatory reaction. Dental problems can also be responsible for TMJ pain. Poorly fitting dentures, tooth removal or minor or major dental surgeries, missing teeth, emergence of premolars and growth of wisdom teeth are some of the dental problems that can lead to TMJ pain.

This causes the muscles surrounding the jaw joint to become inflamed and tightened. Over time, the strain on the tight muscles puts pressure on the joint, which can cause the muscles to shorten and lead to misalignment of the joint.

Since the causes of TMJ disorder are different, the approach to treating TMJ disorder should be multidimensional. There are a variety of treatment options for TMJ pain, ranging from simple exercises to dietary changes to complex corrective surgery.

Natural remedies for TMJ pain and disorder cause little or no side effects and often little or no out-of-pocket costs. Probably the simplest and most effective remedy would be proper nutrition. A proper diet is not only good for the rest of the body, as some essential nutrients relax tense muscles, which in turn reduces pain. Water is one of the keys. When you are dehydrated, your muscles tense up. If you don't drink enough water and/or drink caffeine-rich beverages (dehydrate), the body remains in a constant state of dehydration, which strains the muscles. By hydrating the body, muscles are relaxed and pain is relieved. Foods rich in magnesium and calcium also relax muscles.

Relaxation exercises relax the muscles around the jaw, neck, shoulders, etc. and relieve the pain associated with tense muscles. Take your fist and clench your fist as tightly as possible. After a short time, these muscles become very tired. This happens to the muscles around the jaw joint. Now relax the fist, just open your fist slightly and feel the muscles relax and the pain disappear. The point is that relaxing exercises relax the muscles around the jaw joint and relieve pain.

Other natural remedies include: massage, acupuncture, meditation and hypnotherapy.

One or more of these natural remedies not only relieve TMJ pain, but can also cure the symptoms for good.

Inspired by Debra L Sidenquist