I was recently asked if there was anything that I could do to help a patient with Temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Temporomandibular disorders are disorders of the jaw muscles, temporomandibular joints, and the nerves associated with chronic facial pain. Any problem that prevents the complex system of muscles, bones, and joints from working together in harmony may result in temporomandibular disorder.
The answer to the question is YES!! Chiropractors typically treat the muscles, bones and joints in the spine however studies show that we can treat many other areas of the body with great success. While treating TMD we can utilize physical therapy modalities like ultrasound therapy to reduce pain and inflammation as well as tools like the Activator adjusting tool help to increase the range of motion of the jaw.
When treating TMD there are 3 key muscles: the masseter, the temporalis, and the pterygoid. Your masseter is a thick, deep muscle in the upper jaw area that exists to allow us to chew our food. If you put your hand on your cheek and open and close your mouth you can feel your masseter. Your temporalis is a thinner, clam-shaped muscle on each side of the head. This muscle is crucial for chewing and covers a broader area than the masseter including the area around your temples.
If the jaw is very tight, TMJ treatment can be combined with ultra sound therapy to speed up the healing process of the tissues involved.
Once the soft tissue work for jaw pain has been completed we move on to adjust and assess the jaw with an Activator adjusting tool. During the TMJ adjustment, your chiropractor will feel for which side of the jaw joint opens the least amount and which one opens last to identify which side should be worked on first. We adjust the stuck side of the jaw first and then the other side with a light adjustment with an Activator tool. After this adjustment, we reassess and often find that the jaw joint is able to move more.
For more information: Ultrasound is Effective to Treat Temporomandibular Joint Disorder https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8203600/
Chiropractic treatment of temporomandibular disorders using the activator adjusting instrument: a prospective case series https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12975628/
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