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TMJ Pain.....Headache and Neck Tension?

Posted , 15 users are following.

wearykitty
wearykitty

So...on top of everything else, it would appear as though I'm having issues with my TMJ...I believe I'm a jaw clencher when I'm anxious (which is pretty much always), and I'm also a sloucher at my desk, and this has caused the muscles in my neck to become VERY tense....could this tension be causing my headaches as well? And what about the persistent off-balance feeling that I seem to have whenever the tension strikes? My head just feels so heavy...as though my poor neck can barely support it. I had a massage last night and the therapist was astonished at how tight my muscles were, especially on the sides of my neck, behind my ears, and in my shoulders....all related? Does anyone else experience this? The pain is pretty intense and over-the-counter pain relievers (like Advil) don't do a thing for it....suggestions?

0 likes, 27 replies

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  • christina96841
    christina96841 wearykitty

    Posted

    This thread is so interesting.  I am a 43 year old Head teacher who has been diagnosed with TMJ, and take amitrypiline and wear a mouth guard at night.  I didn't realise the menopause was related too. 

    ​It hs taken 18 months to get a diagnosis, and I don;t think the medication is right yet.  I have had one session of physio and need to change my ways a little. 

    ​I hope that there will be some relief one day, as I can not imagine living with this pain in my right ear/cheek and jaw for the rest of my life.  The pain rarely goes! 

    ​I have a week away withut the children lying on a beach, so I will be interested to see if that eases the pain!

  • gentleballads
    gentleballads wearykitty

    Posted

    i too have jaw clenching and back slouching problem

    my jaws are clenched all day...making the teeth grind and lose surface area...this makes the ear and  face ache

    it is an expression of internal anxiety

  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 wearykitty

    Posted

    I have tmj so bad. Dentist makes me a custom soft solint. Calms the jaw. When i sleep i clench away. Caused me tinnitus and ear issue and terrible headaches and dizzy ..it makes a mess.  Miuth Splints/gaurd helps it decreased the pain a lot they sell generic ines in the pharmacies but custom better.i was recommended to try tens on my jaw but i never did. I massage the jaw at times and try to relax it. Even tried some tmj app haha. I wonder if accuouncture works in this. Your symptoms sound like me.im post menapause still have the tmj though. Mine started in peri and i just realised while reading this.wow. Im learning so much from this forum. I read can be from anxiety and low calcium but my doctor tested my calcium levels and they were fine, anti inflammation remedies would probably help. I eat a lot of ginger now. Fish oils gave me wicked headaches so its trial and error.
  • bev14365
    bev14365 wearykitty

    Posted

    Hi wearykitty iv just started to get tight neck and like i need to swollow all the time im thinking it could be anxiety almost like iv got a crunb stuck if that makes sence
  • bev14365
    bev14365 wearykitty

    Posted

    Hi wearykitty iv just started to get tight neck and like i need to swollow all the time im thinking it could be anxiety almost like iv got a crunb stuck if that makes sence
  • abby59152
    abby59152 wearykitty

    Posted

    I too suffer terrible with tmj stiff neck awful headaches, face pain and dizziness. I have had a mouth guard and acupuncture neither helped. No pain killers touch it. I am only now 30 with a one year old and it's a daily struggle to look after him with such bad symptoms. Doctors etc don't seem to care and my husband is sick of hearing me complain of headaches. I had an x ray of my jaws and both joints are completely disfigured with no explanation why but also no suggestion of help. The thought of living like this for the rest of my life is depressing.

    • killermom
      killermom abby59152

      Posted

      Poor you. Sounds awful. Ihad a mouth guard for nights but I chewed right through it. Keep making a pest of yourself until doctor does something. It's just not good enough.

    • renee72446
      renee72446 abby59152

      Posted

      I am also young... 26 and have a 7 month old. I received the flu shot at the beginning of November, got a headache right after and it's still not gone. I've been to physio, massage and chiro. I clench my jaw at night and have a splint for it, but it seems to make my jaw hurt more. I'm going on 6 weeks of this headache and don't know what to do. My neck and shoulders are so tense. I have ringing in my ears now and get this dizzy feeling throughout the day and night. A dentist I saw recommended I get an orthotic made to realign my jaw and to help stop the clenching. Just not sure the clenching is causing all of my tension problems.

    • renee72446
      renee72446 abby59152

      Posted

      Do you have your period back? I do not have mine yet. I wonder if hormones have a play in this
    • abby59152
      abby59152 renee72446

      Posted

      Yes mine are like clock work and doesn't seem to play a part in these headaches. I completely feel for you. Trying to bring up a child with constant headaches is hard work.

  • taco229
    taco229 wearykitty

    Posted

    Hi. I'm new here. I see this post is about a year old but wanted to check in and see if anyone has found relief or answers. I am 42, in Peri, and have myofascial TMJ - or so they say. It began a year ago with major anxiety which is when I discovered I was in the midst of peri. The anxiety was (and sometimes still is) brutal. Along with it came a strange pressure in my cheek, in front of my ear, and slight neck tightness. It progressed quickly to jaw clicking and popping and awful neck symptoms which seem perplexing to doctors. I think because it doesn't necessarily feel like pain in the neck but pressure, fullness, tightness confuses doctors. But most - I've been to many - seem to think that it's muscular or myofascial tmj. I've had a jaw, neck, and brain MRI all showing nothing, thankfully. The feeling is pretty constant but intensity waxes and wanes - maybe with hormonal changes? Has anyone experienced this or found resolution to their symptoms?

    Thanks!

  • Azzumi
    Azzumi wearykitty

    Posted

    Hi..yes terrible neck pain and weird pain in the back of my head through Peri. I do have a bad neck anyway but through Peri it became unbearable and seemed to come and go through my cycle. The pain in the back of my head seemed to start early hours of the morning and would be accompanied by neck pain also and my maxalt wafers I use for migraines would get rid of it so my conclusion was. The neck pain with the head pain was a very bazzar migraine. I'm on bio identical hormones now and I rarely get it any more. There is definitely a hormone connection.

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