Jaw Pain

Jaw pain is more common than people believe. Jaw pain affects up to 40% of the population with females 3 times more likely to experience jaw pain over men. The cause of this is unknown, however we do understand that people who experience jaw pain early on in life are more likely to experience more sever or frequent jaw pain at later stages in life. 

The jaw is make up of the temporomandibular joint, also known as TMJ. This complex structure allows the jaw to open and close in the instance of chewing and talking but also move forwards and backwards. 


Causes 

    • It is understood that jaw pain is causes by, but not limited to:

    • Inflammation within the joint

    • Poor biomechanics of the jaw

    • Instability of the jaw

    • Restriction of the jaw

Individuals with high stress levels or anxiety are seen to have a higher prevalence and frequency of jaw pain than individuals in low stress environments. 


Treatment

For jaw pain, patients may seek help from chiropractors, physiotherapists, dentists, and maxofacial specialists. Due to its prevalence in patients that experience stress and anxiety, its is also recommended to seek mental health advice additionally from their GP/counsellor. 

Treatments with a chiropractor may include jaw retraining, massage, education, dry needling, manipulation and strengthening exercises. In more severe cases if conservative care has shown no improvement, patients may seek invasive or surgical interventions that allow muscle relaxing of the jaw and pain relief.