Does it hurt to move your jaw? Does your jaw hurts at rest, when trying to eat, when you first wake up in the morning. Did you have an injury to the jaw, or a TMJ (temporomandibular joint) not moving properly? If you have been struggling with jaw pain for months, or even years, it’s not unusual to get better, quickly with the right care plan. Our team at Great Lakes Spine & Sport is equipped to propely assess and treat the TMJ.

Jaw pain is a painful symptom, tand here are many reasons as to why you’re experincing it. We often associate pain with damage, like an injury such as a tear or break. Fortunately, it’s unlikely jaw pain is the result of an injury. The most common cause of jaw pain is improper joint mechanics. An interference of proper joint movement eventually leads to sensitivity of nerves and soft tissue structures around the joint, thus causing pain. This commonly evolves into spasm and tightening of the mover muscles of the jaw. Tightening of the jaw muscles leads to jaw pain and even headaches. As proper TMJ mechanics are restored, the muscles relax and jaw pain reduces. There are times the articular disc within the TMJ that can become displaced, through trauma or overuse. Displacement of the disc can lead to abnormal TMJ movement, leading to jaw pain and locking. If you are exeperincing jaw pain, find a provider trained in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) that can clarify whether the symptoms are sourced from the neck, the jaw muscles, or the TMJ joint itself. Knowing the cause of symptoms ensures the proper application of the best treatments and strategies to correct the problem as quickly as possible. If you or anyone you know is dealing with jaw pain that just won’t go away reach out to our office. We would be more than happy to assist you in the way you deserve.