Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Summary
Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome, also known as TMJ, is a condition of the jaw and surrounding muscular tissues that can cause pain and dysfunction to the mandibular joint when it is inflamed or injured. This will often lead to a multitude of symptoms that can vary in severity with the most common being headaches, stiff/tight/sore muscles of the jaw and neck, popping or clicking in the jaw, and pain that can be very similar to that of a toothache.
The structure of the jaw is meant to be a simplistic, yet extremely strong area of the body. The jaw is capable of more movements than just mastication (chewing)– it can also undertake deviation (wiggling side to side), as well as protrusion (jutting forward). Even though there are only 4 muscles that enable all of these movements, due to how tightly packed together the musculature is situated in the back of the mouth (as seen pictured here), it’s no wonder so many people can end up with problems!
There is a slight difference between “TMJ” and “TMD”, however. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the three categories that make up the actual symptoms of TMD disorder are as follows:
- Pain when using the muscles that control the function of the jaw
- Internal derangement of the joint involving the disc being displaced, a dislocated jaw, or injury to the condyle/joint of the mandible
- Arthritis-related issues that are degenerative and/or inflammatory joint disorders in the jaw
“TMD” is what is used to describe when the actual joint is misaligned, and is also what is used to define all of the symptoms associated with jaw pain. “TMJ” is simply the abbreviation for the joint itself, but has become the societal norm for what is recognized when speaking of jaw pain.

Cause
There are a multitude of reasons why a person can end up with TMJ:
- Trauma is a BIG one, such as having had a fractured or broken jaw, or even just from receiving a blow to the face. This can even happen during car accidents when an airbag goes off!
- Dental work
- Sitting with your mouth open for long periods during a procedure
- Work that made your teeth so sensitive afterwards that you changed the way you would chew due to discomfort
- Bruxism (grinding of teeth) and/or jaw clenching
- Misalignment of mandible
- This can be something that happens as a side effect of trauma (professional athletes have this happen often!), or sometimes your mandible will get off-centered due to how your bite force is distributed.
Effects
TMJ is one of those conditions that rarely is a one-time, acute case that will just “go away” on it’s own. Due to the complex nature of the joint that this condition is named for, it does not take much to have the symptoms begin to affect you. It is usually a chronic case that gets steadily worse with time if left untreated due to how much bite force the human jaw can produce on its own–to give you an idea, a pitbull can exert a force of 235 PSI with it’s jaw, while the human jaw can exert anywhere from 200-260 PSI. That’s a LOT of force that is being centered on something as delicate as the human teeth. It’s no wonder people can have teeth crack from the force of this condition, let alone all of the other symptoms it can produce!
It is possible to have an acute case of TMJ with symptoms that correlate to some of the above listed causes, such as dental work or a misalignment of the jaw. Even so, the majority of cases for this become a chronic issue. We live in such a stress-filled world, it makes sense that so many people will give themselves TMJ simply from grinding and/or clenching in their sleep and have no idea. If you’re waking up most days with a headache, a feeling of extreme tension throughout the side of your neck, throat and temples, or just achy teeth, you probably do it and haven’t even known!
Treatment
One very popular treatment to help mitigate some of the effects of TMJ can be to use a mouthguard, either one specially made by your dentist or one from the store. While using one can most definitely take the edge off of the symptoms, the best treatment for this is getting bodywork done to the muscles of the jaw, neck and shoulders. By working through the neck, shoulders, and jaw (both internally and externally) we can help to eradicate the dysfunction that is creating the pain/tension throughout these areas. We do this by releasing the fascial adhesions in each area through a series of structural integration techniques that are designed to help reorganize and balance the connective tissue and musculature, alleviating the symptoms of this very painful and often frustrating condition.
At the end of the day, our goal at Structura is to provide you with the perfect recipe for a healthier, balanced, and pain-free body.
Schedule a FREE wellness consultation
Schedule a FREE wellness consultation
Ready to experience how our therapy can help you address the pain and discomfort you may be feeling?
Dive straight into the feedback!Login below and you can start commenting using your own user instantly