Can Chiropractic Care Help TMJ Pain?
Pain around your jaw can make surprisingly simple things uncomfortable.
Eating, talking, yawning, or even opening your mouth can become painful. You may also notice clicking, popping, stiffness, or tension around your jaw.
This may be related to the temporomandibular joints, commonly called the TMJ.
But can chiropractic care help?
For some people, chiropractic care may be one part of a broader approach to managing jaw pain and muscle tension. However, not every TMJ problem has the same cause, and some conditions require evaluation by a dentist, physician, or other specialist.
What Is the TMJ?
You actually have two temporomandibular joints—one on each side of your jaw.
These joints connect your lower jaw to your skull and allow your jaw to move up and down, side to side, and forward and backward.
Because we use them constantly for talking, eating, and swallowing, problems involving these joints or the surrounding muscles can be particularly noticeable.
What Does TMJ Pain Feel Like?
Symptoms can vary, but may include:
Pain around the jaw
Jaw stiffness
Clicking or popping
Difficulty opening the mouth
Pain when chewing
Headaches
Facial pain
Ear-area discomfort
Tightness in the jaw or surrounding muscles
Not everyone who has clicking or popping has a painful TMJ problem. However, persistent pain or changes in how your jaw moves are worth having evaluated.
What Can Cause TMJ Pain?
There isn't always one single cause.
Jaw pain may be associated with things such as:
Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
Stress-related muscle tension
Injury
Changes in the way the jaw moves
Problems involving the jaw joint
Tension in the neck and upper back
Certain dental issues
Because there can be multiple contributing factors, treatment should be based on the individual.
How Could Chiropractic Care Help?
The jaw, neck, shoulders, and upper back don't work completely independently.
Muscle tension and movement problems in the neck and upper body may contribute to how someone holds and moves their head and jaw.
A chiropractor may evaluate the neck, upper back, and surrounding muscles and may use appropriate hands-on techniques to address musculoskeletal restrictions and tension.
Treatment might include gentle manual techniques, soft-tissue work, exercises, posture recommendations, or other approaches depending on the individual.
This doesn't mean a chiropractic adjustment will “fix” every TMJ problem. Some jaw conditions are primarily dental or joint-related and may require treatment from a dentist or TMJ specialist but sometimes chiropractic care can significantly help people with TMJ.
Should You See a Dentist Too?
Sometimes, yes.
If you're experiencing ongoing jaw pain, difficulty opening your mouth, significant changes in your bite, or other persistent symptoms, a dental evaluation may be appropriate.
A dentist can evaluate the teeth and jaw directly and determine whether issues such as grinding, clenching, or another dental condition may be contributing.
Chiropractic care and dental care don't have to be either/or. Depending on what's causing your symptoms, they may address different parts of the problem.
The Bottom Line
TMJ pain can have several possible causes, which means there isn't one treatment that works for everyone.
For some patients, addressing muscle tension and movement in the neck, upper back, and surrounding areas may be helpful. Chiropractic care may be one piece of that approach.
If you're dealing with persistent jaw pain, clicking, stiffness, or difficulty opening your mouth, getting the right evaluation is the first step toward figuring out what's causing it.
