How A Chiropractor Can Help You With TMJ

29 November 2016
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Living with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) can be painful and uncomfortable. It can make it hard to chew things, speak, open your mouth, and more. It can also lead to a lot of pain in your face, head, and neck. If you are tired of dealing with this pain, you might be able to find some relief by visiting a chiropractor. Here are a couple things to understand about chiropractic treatment for TMJ.

The causes of TMJ

TMJ can be a result of many things, but it is typically caused by some sort of tension to the temporomandibular joint, which connects the skull to you jaw. A lot of people develop this from grinding or clenching their teeth when they sleep, while others develop it simply from misalignments in their bones. People who experience a lot of stress may find that their symptoms of TMJ worsen when they feel stress. Rarely do the symptoms of TMJ go away on their own; it usually requires some form of treatment.

How chiropractic can help

Chiropractors focus on correcting health problems by placing the spine back into the proper alignment. The spine can become misaligned for many reasons, and everyday habits are a common source of misalignments in the spine. When this happens, it can affect other bones in the body, and it can also affect the nervous system and the joints in the body.

There are several ways chiropractors can help with TMJ pain and symptoms, and one method is through spinal manipulation of the neck. If your neck bones are not aligned properly, they can be placing pressure on your jawbone, and this can lead to TMJ pain. Regular spinal adjustments can alleviate this pressure. The chiropractor might even use specific trigger points to try to reposition your jaw to the correct alignment.

Another method involves exercises for the neck. Your chiropractor can teach you the types of exercises to use, and these types will be designed to help strengthen your neck muscles.

Your chiropractor might also suggest making some changes to your posture to help alleviate pressure, and he or she might recommend using heat on your jaw joints to relieve the pain you feel. There are a number of different things you can do that may help relieve your pain.

If you are sick of dealing with the pain of TMJ, you can do something about it. A chiropractor offers natural healthcare methods for treating things like this, and he or she can help you find relief. For more information, contact local professionals like Contino Chiropractic Center.