Chic & Health

Sponsored Links

Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ syndrome, as it is more popularly known, is such a pain–literally. Not only does it wreak havoc on your jaws, but it also tends to have an effect on the rest of your body. Most times, TMJ pain takes place in your neck, shoulders, and your head, too, causing you to feel as though you have a big headache that absolutely refuses to go away and that you are experiencing what you might just shrug off as the ordinary everyday aches and pains that go with stress. So there’s no doubt that it will surprise you when you find out that your aches and pains actually take place as a result of TMJ disorder.

When you see your physician or a TMJ specialist, you will definitely be advised on the best course of action to take to rid you of TMJ disorder, or at least to manage the pain that you are feeling. Pain medication is a standard solution, of course, and you may also be told to reduce your stress level and learn to relax a bit, since stress contributes to TMJ pain whenever you clench your teeth and jaws unconsciously.

Another alternative you can take is to do some TMJ exercises to alleviate pain and hopefully even get your jaw functioning correctly once again. You can consult a physical therapist to help you map out a program that will help soothe your TMJ pain.

The TMJ exercises you can do are all very simple and you should just make sure to perform them regularly. Start by opening and closing your mouth repeatedly–not too wide, or this will cause more pain. You can also put your fist under your chin and open your mouth slowly, repeating the movement ten times; this will ideally help you relax your lower jaw bone. Another exercise involves opening and closing the mouth as well, only this time, you will also press your fingers to your jaw area. This should help realign your jaw and prevent them from clicking as you close and open your mouth.

After your TMJ exercises, make sure to apply some warm compress to the affected areas and lightly massage your jaws as well. Keep in mind that the TMJ exercises aren’t meant to be the ultimate solution to your TMJ pain, just that they are meant to temporary alleviate the pain you are feeling as a result of TMJ disorder. Also, if you find any of the exercises a bit too taxing and painful for your jaws, stop and don’t do the exercises any further.