Using Physical Therapy To Treat Tmj
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most frequently used joints in the human body. This pair of joints linking the upper and lower jaws is what permits us to do a variety of activities using our mouths, including talking, swallowing, chewing, sneezing and yawning. Such joint can be found on the sides of the cranium. Due to the functions assigned to such joint as well as the pressure and stress it has to endure, it could become the source of a variety of disorders collectively known as temporomandibular joint disorder or simply TMJ.
TMJ develops due to different reasons. A severe injury to the jaw or temporomandibular joint could disrupt the smooth motion of the jaw, causing pain or locking, which overtime could actually lead to TMJ. Other notable causes of TMJ are teeth clenching and grinding, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis in the temporomandibular joint, and the dislocation of the cushion between the socket and ball. Psychological factors like stress and tension could also cause or intensify TMJ.
Nowadays, there are different treatment options for TMJ, which include pharmaceutical and psychological treatments. Unfortunately, not all of these promise long-term results as they give more emphasis on the symptomatic causes rather than physical causes of this condition. Good thing physical therapy for TMJ is now accessible, patients could experience relief from the discomforts and pain induced by such disorder.
Physical therapy for TMJ is a conservative and reversible treatment approach. It focuses on gentle muscle stretching and relaxing exercises, along with the short-term usage of anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing medications. The main goals of TMJ physical therapy are to lessen the pain induced by the condition, decrease intra-articular inflammation or tendonitis, restoration of the normal function of the mandible, and normalize ROM.
The physical therapy for TMJ uses differing modalities in order to address TMJ dysfunctions. Some of the most common modes of physical therapy used for TMJ include the application of heat through heat pack, ultrasound or phonophoresis; electrotherapy; cyrotherapy as well as manual physical techniques such as massages for soft tissue and joint mobilization or cervical traction. It should be regarded that TMJ is a complex condition that involves various aspects of physical therapy, which is why a combination of the aforesaid approaches can be applied to a patient. In addition, because not all TMJ sufferers have the same level of TMJ, a therapist would have to identify first the main factors that caused the disorder in order to develop a good physical therapy plan that is appropriate for the patient.
After receiving physical therapy treatment for your disorder, your physical therapist would educate you about the things that you have know about your condition, which in turn would help you in relieving TMJ-related pain and preventing possible TMJ symptom relapses. The information that your therapist will give you may include a home rehabilitation program that would help you avoid doing things like chewing gum, ice, and/or fingernails, teeth clenching, and opening your jaws widely when eating, yawning, singing and talking. You would also be given exercises that would help correct your posture while you stand, sit, and sleep.
TMJ develops due to different reasons. A severe injury to the jaw or temporomandibular joint could disrupt the smooth motion of the jaw, causing pain or locking, which overtime could actually lead to TMJ. Other notable causes of TMJ are teeth clenching and grinding, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis in the temporomandibular joint, and the dislocation of the cushion between the socket and ball. Psychological factors like stress and tension could also cause or intensify TMJ.
Nowadays, there are different treatment options for TMJ, which include pharmaceutical and psychological treatments. Unfortunately, not all of these promise long-term results as they give more emphasis on the symptomatic causes rather than physical causes of this condition. Good thing physical therapy for TMJ is now accessible, patients could experience relief from the discomforts and pain induced by such disorder.
Physical therapy for TMJ is a conservative and reversible treatment approach. It focuses on gentle muscle stretching and relaxing exercises, along with the short-term usage of anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing medications. The main goals of TMJ physical therapy are to lessen the pain induced by the condition, decrease intra-articular inflammation or tendonitis, restoration of the normal function of the mandible, and normalize ROM.
The physical therapy for TMJ uses differing modalities in order to address TMJ dysfunctions. Some of the most common modes of physical therapy used for TMJ include the application of heat through heat pack, ultrasound or phonophoresis; electrotherapy; cyrotherapy as well as manual physical techniques such as massages for soft tissue and joint mobilization or cervical traction. It should be regarded that TMJ is a complex condition that involves various aspects of physical therapy, which is why a combination of the aforesaid approaches can be applied to a patient. In addition, because not all TMJ sufferers have the same level of TMJ, a therapist would have to identify first the main factors that caused the disorder in order to develop a good physical therapy plan that is appropriate for the patient.
After receiving physical therapy treatment for your disorder, your physical therapist would educate you about the things that you have know about your condition, which in turn would help you in relieving TMJ-related pain and preventing possible TMJ symptom relapses. The information that your therapist will give you may include a home rehabilitation program that would help you avoid doing things like chewing gum, ice, and/or fingernails, teeth clenching, and opening your jaws widely when eating, yawning, singing and talking. You would also be given exercises that would help correct your posture while you stand, sit, and sleep.