Dealing with TMJ? The OM Center can help.

Has your dentist told you there is an issue with your TMJ?

Tempro-mandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is a wide spread issue that can be very painful and uncomfortable. It can involve lots of symptoms such as

• Headaches
• Noise/clicking on one or both sides of the jaw.
• Stiffness or "locking up" of the jaw.
• Grinding at night
• Clenching
• Neck tension

Here at the OM Center we have lots of experience  helping our clients heal from TMJ problems. 

Let's first look at the anatomy. There are some very strong muscles controlling the opening and closing of the jaw. But looking more closely you will see it can be quite complicated because of all of the different motions our jaw can do. There are lots of small muscles and tissues that help keep the jaw moving properly. Usually dysfunction starts with a trauma of some kind, lengthy dental procedures are a big trigger for TMJ problems, of course an impact to the head or face can cause issues, because of positioning during surgical procedures some people have jaw issues after a surgery, and certainly it can be a repetitive motion or postural problem. Your dentist will probably prescribe a bite guard to help control symptoms. This will protect your teeth but we can help get to the root cause and start the healing.

We usually start the treatment process with some CranioSacral Therapy (CST). Using CST we can release the deep tissues related to the function of the jaw. This will help the jaw find it's way back into a healthier alignment. Usually after some CST sessions, how many depends on each individual, we can introduce some traditional massage therapy techniques to get rid of tension in the more superficial muscles. Because the jaw is directly connected to the neck, these muscles are usually addressed as well. It can take several sessions to undo all of these layers of tension. TMJ issues seem to escalate over time so it can take some time to get everything working together again in this complicated joint.

Massage and CranioSacral Therapy work very well in addressing any discomfort in the TMJ. Don't just live with these symptoms, get free of the pain and tension.  Call us at the OM Center today to get started on the road to recovery!