At Horton Park Physiotherapy we can help manage and treat your TMD (Temporomandibular joint disorders) by reducing pain and inflammation in the joint and improving the movement and function of your TMJ. As in other cases, our physiotherapist treats your TMD in a holistic manner: Looking at both the TMJ and the other surrounding body parts that are contributing to the problem.
Common symptoms related to TMJ disorders are:
- Pain or aching in the jawbone, jaw muscles, head, neck, face, or ear (often in front of or below the ear) or other muscles surrounding the jaw area. Pain is sometimes worse in the morning, which can indicate nighttime bruxism.
- Clicking, popping, grinding, or grating sounds when moving the jaw. Injury to the joint structures causes abnormal motion, leading to joint sounds. It should be noted that many people experience sounds coming from their TMJ but have no associated pain or problems.
- Difficulty opening/closing the mouth or moving the jaw. It is often particularly difficult to open the mouth wide.
- locked jaw. The jaw gets stuck in one position, (more commonly the open position but can also be in the closed position). Generally, this is due to abnormal functioning of the structures of the joint and a portion of the articular disc getting stuck within the joint.
- Swelling over the TMJ.
- Difficulty chewing, biting, yawning, or moving the mouth with ease.
- A feeling of change in your bite position (occlusion).
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Ringing in the ear (tinnitus).
- A feeling of fullness in the ear.
Do not worry if you have not been given a set diagnosis, schedule an appointment with our highly trained physiotherapist and we will help restore your jaw movement and function.