Clunking Jaw / Jaw Pain
The temporomandibular joint or TMJ, is the joint which joins your jaw bone to the rest of your skull. You can feel it just in front of your ear hole. It can be painful for many reasons including poor posture, bad habits, growth disorder or injury and inflammation.
What causes TMJ pain?
There is normally a combination of causes which can lead to pain or symptoms:
- Overactivity of the jaw muscles – sometimes from continuous grinding of the teeth
- Trauma – a blow to either the joint or the jaw bone
- Arthritis
- Stiffness or dysfunction in the neck
- Sensitivity to stress-related pain
What are the signs and symptoms of dysfunction?
- Pain in the jaw joint or facial muscles
- Clicking / grinding / locking in the jaw
- Headaches and dizziness
- Difficulty opening and closing the mouth
- Pain when chewing on hard food or yawning
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy can help in the treatment of jaw pain. Physiotherapists at Ealing Physio have taken numerous courses on acupuncture, dry needling, manual therapy and soft tissue work around the jaw that can help with relief of pain. An exercise programme can also be given to strengthen the muscles surrounding the jaw.