Myotherapy and Dry Needling For TMJD Issues

What Is TMJD? And Can Myotherapy Help?

When your jaw decides it wants a little more attention than usual…

Oh, the joys of ageing.

Growing, developing your career, figuring out your personality and, oh yeah, apparently your teeth and oral health can keep changing too.

This was something I had the unfortunate pleasure of discovering just as I turned 26 years young.

It was a fine old morning, much like any other, except for the rather unpleasant sensation on the right side of my jaw and face.

I had woken up with a sensitive and painful jaw and immediately started wondering:

“Did I eat something really chewy yesterday?”

Nope.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

So naturally, I grabbed a torch and had a peek inside my mouth. One of my teeth looked like it was being slowly swallowed up by my gums.

Fantastic.

As a myotherapist, my next thought was less “I wonder what’s wrong?” and more “I know exactly which muscle is going to need some attention.”

My masseter was feeling particularly tender and tight, so I got myself onto the foam roller/block and started working through the area with some gentle self-massage. Over the following few days, the muscular discomfort settled down with some self-treatment and the techniques I knew.

But it wasn’t until my next dental check-up that I discovered what was actually happening.

My wisdom teeth on the right side had decided it was finally time to make an appearance.

Apparently, my mouth had other plans for my 26th year.

And while my wisdom teeth are a story for another day, the experience gave me a very real reminder of how interconnected the jaw, face, head and neck can be.

It also got me thinking about how confusing and uncomfortable jaw pain can be for someone who doesn’t have the knowledge or resources to understand what might be happening.

So, let’s talk about it.

What is TMD?

TMD stands for temporomandibular disorder, which is a broad term used to describe problems affecting the temporomandibular joint, the jaw muscles and the surrounding structures.

Your temporomandibular joints, or TMJs, are the two joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull. You use them constantly throughout the day for talking, chewing, swallowing and even yawning.

When something isn’t quite happy in this system, symptoms can include:

• Jaw pain or tenderness
• Clicking, popping or other jaw sounds
• Difficulty or discomfort when opening your mouth
• Pain when chewing
• Headaches
• Facial pain
• Neck tension or pain
• Ear discomfort
• Jaw stiffness
• Teeth clenching or grinding

And sometimes, unfortunately, these symptoms like to bring their friends along.

What causes TMD?

There isn’t necessarily one single cause.

TMD can develop from a combination of factors, including clenching or grinding your teeth, stress, changes in jaw movement, trauma, arthritis and other dental or musculoskeletal factors.

One common contributor is bruxism, which is the clenching or grinding of your teeth.

When the jaw muscles are repeatedly loaded through clenching or grinding, they can become overworked and sensitive. Over time, this may contribute to pain and discomfort around the jaw and surrounding areas.

And this is where things can become particularly interesting from a myotherapy perspective.

Your jaw doesn’t work alone

When I experienced my own jaw pain, I could feel the discomfort extending beyond the immediate area of my teeth and jaw.

My jaw, face and neck all seemed to be involved.

That’s because the muscles surrounding the jaw don’t exist in isolation. They work alongside the muscles of the head and neck, and changes in one area can influence how another area moves and feels.

Research has also demonstrated an association between TMD and neck pain, with greater severity of TMD symptoms being associated with increased neck pain and sensitivity.

So if someone comes into the clinic saying:

“It’s just my jaw,”

it can be worth looking beyond the jaw itself.

Can myotherapy help with TMD?

This is where myotherapy may have a role to play.

A myotherapist can assess the muscles and surrounding structures contributing to someone’s symptoms and develop an appropriate treatment approach based on their individual presentation.

Treatment may include techniques such as:

• Remedial massage and soft tissue techniques
• Trigger point therapy
• Dry needling, where appropriate
• Movement and mobility exercises
• Education around jaw habits and muscle tension
• Addressing contributing areas of the neck and upper body

The goal isn’t simply to massage a sore jaw and send you on your way.

It’s about understanding why the area may be becoming painful or overloaded and helping manage the muscular and movement-related components of the problem.

Research has found that interventions such as manual therapy and dry needling can help reduce pain and improve function in people experiencing TMD-related symptoms.

However, it’s important to remember that not every jaw problem is a muscle problem.

And my own experience was a pretty good example of that.

I could treat the muscular component of my jaw pain, but ultimately, there was a dental issue contributing to what I was experiencing.

Your dentist is still an important part of the team

If you’re experiencing unexplained, persistent or significant jaw or tooth pain, getting your teeth and oral health assessed is important.

A dentist can check for potential dental causes such as tooth decay, gum problems, wisdom teeth or other issues affecting your oral health.

Depending on the presentation, they may also discuss options such as an occlusal splint, commonly known as a mouthguard, particularly where clenching or grinding is contributing to symptoms.

For some people, the best approach may involve several healthcare professionals working together.

And that’s okay.

You don’t have to pick between your dentist and your myotherapist.

Sometimes your best outcome comes from having both.

Don’t just grit your teeth and bear it

My own experience made me think about all the people who might experience jaw, face or neck pain without knowing where to start.

It’s very easy to think:

“I’ll just put up with it.”

Or:

“It’s probably nothing.”

Or, perhaps most appropriately for jaw pain:

“I’ll just grit my teeth and get through it.”

Pun intended.

But persistent jaw pain, difficulty opening your mouth, painful clicking or popping, headaches associated with jaw symptoms, or unexplained facial and neck pain are all good reasons to get things checked.

Your jaw does a lot of work every single day.

It deserves a little attention too.

My takeaway

My wisdom teeth may have been the original culprit behind my particular episode of tooth and jaw pain, but the experience reminded me of something I see regularly as a myotherapist:

Pain is rarely as simple as “this muscle hurts, so let’s massage this muscle.”

The jaw is part of a much bigger system involving the teeth, joints, muscles, head and neck.

Understanding that bigger picture can help us work out what may be contributing to someone’s symptoms and, just as importantly, when another healthcare professional needs to be involved.

So if your jaw is clicking, clenching, grinding, aching or generally making its presence known, don’t necessarily ignore it.

And if you’re 26 and think you’ve finally finished developing…

Don’t worry.

Your wisdom teeth may have other plans.

Reference

“2022 study on pain patterns and neck sensitivity in people with different severities of temporomandibular disorders” (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9642967/)