Have you ever experienced pain or popping around the jaw, earaches or ear ringing, difficulty or pain with chewing or eating, or even random bouts of dizziness? If this is the case you may be dealing with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), a disorder of the temporomandibular joint (jaw) [1].

The TMJ is a hinge joint in front of the ear that connects the temporal bone (skull) to the mandibular condyle (jaw bone). Actions of the TMJ include opening, closing, side-to-side motion, and jutting forwards and backwards. These motions are controlled by muscles that connect to the jaw, skull, and a bone in your throat called the hyoid.

Causes of TMD include direct trauma (head trauma, dental procedures), teeth grinding/clenching from stress, poor posture, or arthritis. Each of these causes can be related to muscle spasms around the jaw, irritation of tissues within the TMJ, or degeneration of the temporal or mandibular bones.

Although there are many causes of TMD, here are some treatment techniques that a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, or a Chiropractor can perform:

• Education on TMJ anatomy, appropriate posture, diet modification, and stress reduction
• Pain modalities such soft tissue mobilization, electrical stimulation, heat, or ice
• Extraoral or intraoral (inside of the mouth) joint mobilizations to increase jaw mobility
• Exercises to decrease spasms and reinforce appropriate head and neck posture [2]

If you have any jaw pain or popping associated with TMD, please visit or call our Woodbridge office to book an appointment with our therapists!

Made by Jarred Tolley, PT, DPT

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

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK271/#:~:text=Palpate%20directly%20over%20the%20joint,move%20posteriorly%20against%20your%20finger.