Trigger Point Massage and Jaw Exercises Help Relieve TMJ Jaw Pain

Have you had a jaw clenching and teeth grinding week and are currently left with excruciating jaw pain? You might consider rushing to the neighborhood pharmacy searching for over-the-counter pain relief or even consider getting your jaw dressed for comfort. However, have you tried to understand the causes of jaw pain? If not, we suggest you contact your dentist to determine the exact reasons for the discomfort you experience.

If a visit to your dentist besides an evaluation reveals that you need TMJ disorder treatment for problems with your temporomandibular joint, you may express concerns on how you can manage the swelling and pain associated with the disorder. Stubborn TMJ pain is challenging to diagnose, and in most cases, the pain disappears by itself in a couple of months. Many people with temporomandibular joint disorders generally clench and grind their teeth, although not everyone affected by the problem is also affected by bruxism.

While you may not think about TMJ joints constantly, you undoubtedly use them more frequently than you think. Your TMJ joint springs into action every time you begin speaking, chewing and swallowing. TMJ disorders occur when the functionality of the joint is hampered by jaw injury, inflammation from arthritis, or merely by overusing the jaw.

While you can seek TMJ pain relief tips from your dentist or a TMJ specialist, you might also want to use at-home remedies like exercises to overcome the discomfort you experience and ensure you keep your jaw healthy for continued relief from TMJ pain. We suggest some simple exercises you can incorporate into your everyday lifestyle for comfort from the persistent jaw pain you experience after seeking advice from your dentist or a TMJ specialist.

What Exercises Do We Suggest for TMJ Pain?

You can find TMJ pain treatment near me from specialists in the disorder, dentists, and even physical therapists. If you want to incorporate exercises into your everyday activities, manual therapy can mend the muscles that have become tense, inflamed, and painful. These painful joints are known as trigger points when the cause of the TMJ pain is the masseter muscle covering the jaw over your teeth.

The masseter muscle helps chewing and jaw clenching. However, overuse of the muscles from teeth grinding and jaw clenching causes them to become tense and inflamed. In such cases, you can find relief from massages from a provider with a comprehensive understanding of the TMJ musculature. In addition, you may find relief from specialists like chiropractors, massage specialists, physical therapists, and osteopathic physicians.

All professionals have different ways of treating TMJ jaw pain and may adopt various strategies to help you overcome the discomfort.

If massages can help relieve TMJ pain and exercises performed at home be far behind? Let us look at some jaw exercises you can use from home to stretch, strengthen and relax your jaw muscles.

TMJ Pain Relief Exercises

If you are affected by TMJ jaw pain, you must keep your jaw muscles smooth and supple by performing straightforward jaw exercises at home. The following activities prove beneficial to relieve TMJ jaw pain.

Jaw Relaxation

You perform this exercise by touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth and open and close the mouth repeatedly. Next, you can place a finger in front of the ear on the TMJ joint and use it on the chin to open and close your jaw fully or partially.

Chin Tucks

Chin tucks are pretty straightforward and require you to stand against a wall pulling your chin towards it to create a double chin. You must hold your position for three to five seconds and repeat the exercise several times.

Mouth Resistance

You can create resistance when trying to open your mouth by placing your thumb under the chin and applying pressure to the chin when trying to open your mouth. Here again, you must hold for three to five seconds before closing your mouth. You can also use the exercise in the reverse by squeezing your chin between your fingers to build resistance when the mouth is closing.

Side-To-Side and Front to Back Jaw Movements

Considering these movements can seem confusing as you wouldn’t know what exactly you must do. It helps if you discuss with a therapist who can guide you on how to place objects in your mouth and move your jaw side-to-side or front to back while you increase the object’s thickness as you get accustomed to the exercise.

Visiting your dentist for TMJ pain relief may get you mouth splints and advice to use moist heat and ice for relief from the pain you experience. Physical therapists also advise stress relief techniques to prevent behaviors causing tension in the jaw muscles to relieve TMJ pain. However, if you intend to find relief for the discomfort from your home, you will find the exercises suggested in this blog useful for yourself.