TMJ: Restoring Function

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJD) are caused by a dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and impact around 30% of the adult population. As a result of this dysfunction, someone suffering can feel pain and discomfort around the TMJ, headaches, abnormal joint movement like clicking, and more. Other factors can aggravate this pain and these symptoms of dysfunction. A recent case study of a 36-year-old woman noted that her TMJ pain was particularly aggravated by sleeping, movement, and straining motions. This made her pain a prominent factor in her life and greatly reduced her quality of life. At rest, she ranked her pain a numerical 7 out of 10, and with activities, it became a 9 out of 10. She presented to chiropractic care, where she was assessed for subluxation (interference of the nervous system function). Over the course of 8 weeks, chiropractic adjustments were administered to restore optimal function. At the end of care, she reported that her pain was completely gone and had not returned. While TMJD can be hard to approach in terms of care as they are often comprised of many factors, all of those factors have one thing in common: dysfunction occurs at the base level. While many therapies exist focusing on reducing pain, such as needling therapies, facial injections, and even surgery, this isn’t always the best option. Rather than focusing on treating and improving each symptom individually, the attention should be focused on improving function! When we improve function, we start to see the disappearance or decrease in the symptoms of dysfunction, allowing us to live a healthier, more optimal quality of life!