Can The Graston Treatment Treat TMJ?

The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is the pair of joints on the sides of your head that connect your jaw to your skull so your mouth can function properly. Unfortunately, like any part of your body, you can develop a disorder around your TMJ that causes pain, which is known as TMD for short. This could result from an injury, arthritis, bad habits like grinding your teeth, or even some diseases.

Now that we know some of the causes of a TMJ disorder, what can you do to experience relief from the jaw pain and discomfort?

What Is the Cause of TMJ?

While jaw injuries and arthritis can be cited as reasons to experience TMD, there’s more to it than that. When it comes to arthritis, the pain results from the cartilage being damaged around your TMJ. Additionally, your articulator disc is what helps your mouth open and close smoothly, and if it erodes, it can cause pain and discomfort.

Additionally, if you get a jaw injury, your articulator disc will likely be out of alignment, which causes discomfort. That means you’ve probably dislocated your jaw at some point. Finally, stress and tension could exacerbate bad habits like teeth grinding, resulting in pain that could be mitigated by treating the stress points causing the physical symptoms.

Is Physical Therapy Good For TMJ?

Physical therapy is a common way to treat TMJ-related pain. Specifically, there are several exercises you can do with your jaw to help strengthen it. This includes jaw resistance exercises like opening and closing of your mouth, side-by-side jaw movement, and forward jaw movement.

Please keep in mind that it is important that you speak with a professional before attempting physical therapy-type exercises on your own. You should be following an approved regime to avoid further injury.

What Else Can I Do to Treat TMD?

The Graston Technique® is another newer TMD treatment option. The Graston Technique® involves the use of specialized tools to address adhesions and other conditions that can limit range of movement and cause pain. For TMD, the Graston Technique® involves small tools specially designed to help ease movement and improve symmetry in jaw muscles as well as the neck muscles. Tension in the neck muscles often contributes to TMJ disorders.

You may want to try a natural inflammatory like Nutrametrix isotonix OPC-3. Supplements like this are typically recommended once daily.

The cause of your TMJ-related pain may be stress that can be handled through chiropractic care. Chiropractors can often treat symptoms while providing lifestyle advice like diet and exercise to help expedite recovery.

East Bay Chiropractic Wellness Can Help Alleviate the Physical Symptoms Of TMJ

A temporomandibular joint disorder can make your days painful and your nights uncomfortable. At East Bay Chiropractic, we specialize in the Graston Technique®, a pain management technique that targets the scars in your soft tissue that helps combat inflammation to aid in reducing and eliminating pain to get you to take your life back and find comfort. We also provide a number of additional services to help tailor our care to your needs. Contact East Bay Chiropractic today and learn more about how we can help you manage your chronic pain.