Physical Therapy & TMJ

Temporomandibular joint disorder or dysfunction, commonly called “TMJ,” is a group of conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement. Your temporomandibular joints are located on both sides of your face, just in front of your ears. They connect your lower jawbone to your skull and assist in movements like chewing and speaking. Below, our PT Grant Glass takes us through what a typical evaluation looks like, and how he treats TMJ. 

Symptoms of TMD:

• Pain in the jaw muscle
• Pain in the neck and shoulders
• Chronic headaches
• Ringing in your ears
• Locking of the jaw
• Clicking of the jaw joint when opening and closing the mouth

 Evaluation/Treatment:  During an evaluation, Grant will do several tests to get a baseline measurement of your TMD condition. From there, he will create a plan of care that is tailored to your needs.

Some components of a TMD evaluation may include: 

• Assessment of posture
• Neck range of motion
• Jaw range of motion 
• Palpations of structures around your jaw  

Physical Therapy for Jaw Pain-  

Grant Glass is our certified physical therapist at our Sparks location who is passionate about treating TMJ. His goals are to help you restore the natural movement of your jaw and decrease your pain. Give us a call if you have any further questions about TMJ.

References:  

1. https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-temporomandibular-joint-disorder