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TMJ long-term any ideas?

Posted , 4 users are following.

claire71812
claire71812

i have tmj problems, severe pain jaw, cheekbones near ear sometimes migraines around right eye. i grind my teeth and have a night splint. my stress is off the chart. i do excercises, not the goldfish ones as they seem to make it worse. had two bouts of it this year. this one started beginning of October. i did have an accident 1 1/2 years ago fell on my face but x rays showed no damage

Have IBS and depression/ anxiety anyway. my doctor literally shrugged his shoulders when i asked what would help as he could only offer me anti epilepsy drugs/ amitriptyline etc that i have reacted badly to. badly affecting my work as i work in a shop and have to talk all day. anyone any bright ideas?

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • ChimpLegs
    ChimpLegs claire71812

    Posted

    Hi Claire,

    Sorry to hear about your TMJ problems. I have problems almost the same to you. Here are some things that help a bit for me. I hope they will help you to.

    1. Get a small ball (medium softness) and you can massage the jaw muscle with it. You gently roll it over the jaw muscle, just beneath the ear, and over the cheek, and along the jaw line. Do this for both sided of the jaw. This will help loosen the jaw muscle and may help with the ear pain, as tight jaw muscles can cause ear pain. Do this massage in the morning before you take your shower or bath.

      That way you will of massaged the jaw muscles, and then the hot water will help to realax them even more.

    2. After I have massaged my jaw and taken a shower, I apply ibuprofen gel on the jaw joint and over the jaw muscles. Its just a clear gel you rub in. It can be any pain relief gel you want to use.

    3. Take a pain killer Parecetomol, ibuprofen - anyone of your choice with your breakfast in the morning.

    So this is 3 things you have done for your jaw/tmj which are easy and not expensive to do. Massage the jaw morning , and before you go to bed in the evening - also apply the gel.

    Make sure your footware is supporting your frame. Bad shoes can affect the whole spine, all the way to your jaw - i.e. posture. You need shoes which provide a cushioning effect from the ground.

    Speaking of posture, posture can cause tmj problems. The more the neck is pushed forward, the more strain is on the muscles of the jaw/face. So simple neck and shoulder excercises can help. These are not heavy duty excercise, just gentle head twists, sholder shrugs, etc. You can lookup online about these excercises.

    Also sleeping position can be important, a good pillow which supports your head and neck.

    So thats

    1. Jaw massage (day & night)
    2. Muscle pain gel (day & night)
    3. Consider footware & posture
    4. Simple neck shoulder excercises daily
    5. Sleeping comfort (pillow etc)

    The most important thing I have found is the jaw massage. It has helped me more than anything else.

    I wish you all the best. Any questions please ask.

    Chimp.

  • staci88515
    staci88515 claire71812

    Posted

    I have severe TMJ. I broke my jaw when I was young. Here's something that works for me. When not talking, take the tip of your tongue and stick it between your front teeth. It relaxes your jaw and you will DEFINITELY be able to feel when you start to tense your jaw.

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