When the Grind of Life Starts to Bite: Signs that

stress is causing TMD

TMD can be in a pain in neck for sufferers, literally! Often, people think that their
pain is caused by other issues with similar symptoms, such ear infections, tooth
abscesses, migraines, and sinus pain. There are a number of signals that TMD may
the root of your discomfort, such as:

Headaches
Jaw, face, or ear pain
Clicking in the jaw
Locking sensation in the jaw
Dizziness
Ringing in the ears

TMD can affect anyone, but can be triggered a variety of causes, including:

Trauma (car accident, traumatic dental surgery, blow to the face, etc.)
Stress
Posture or abnormal oral stressors (smoking, crunching on ice, biting nails/lips,
tongue thrusting, teeth grinding, clenching, etc.)

The first step in handling the pain is making an appointment with a dentist or
healthcare provider to make sure that the symptoms are not from another
condition. If your pain is related to TMD, have no fear! There are a wide variety of
treatments depending on the severity and type of problem, including:

Custom mouth guard for sleeping

Medication
Injections
Surgery
Specialized physical therapy

Patients can ask their dentist or healthcare provider about physical therapy benefits
as an alternative to needles and surgery. Pain medications often alleviate pain but
not the source of the pain, so symptoms are more likely to come back. Physical
therapy offers patients a way to self-manage symptoms so they know what to do
when symptoms occur and can often prevent full-blown flare ups. TMD-specific
physical therapy gives patients self-management of pain, and an opportunity to
learn ways to protect their joints from worsening symptoms. Physical therapy also
helps relax the muscles while normalizing the motion of the jaw.

When treating a patient with TMD at Penn Therapy and Fitness  Jenkintown, I create
an individualized plan of care to address their pain and other symptoms, which
includes exercises to correct posture and mouth opening, manual treatments to
target soft tissue—both outside the mouth and inside the mouth—and an instruction
in self- treatment.

During a TMD-focused physical therapy session, a patient will experience a variety

of exercises to relief their discomfort, including:

Pectoral and neck muscle stretches help relieve general upper body tension,
Breathing exercises aid with relaxation,
Correction exercises to improve posture
Correct mouth opening pattern exercises to improve alignment while reducing
pain

Sometimes, patients may initially find themselves sorer as we begin to work on the
musculature. After a few sessions, pain is usually lessened, and patients report an
overall feeling that the joint is less tight, as they are better able to open their
mouths for yawning, eating and talking.

For relief at home, patients can apply heat and take hot showers to reduce muscle
tension in the neck and jaw areas, while applying ice on the area can relieve pain.
Another way to ease symptoms is to avoid chewy foods like soft pretzels, and very
crunchy foods like chips or raw vegetables.

To learn more about TMD physical therapy offered at Penn Therapy &
Fitness locations across the Delaware Valley, click here.