List of TMJ Disorders

<
img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4T-yX-M6aR5Dws-PHv1L53E_k6EEHJ_4-Fo9SogkyUfxTJlZkYdwbIAcTgn4Ya3iT6DXu1LmGJcooPv_9TLNKvXNaq0TdCATZVXmHoaNU5xJ5WhXFyHKx7ZwEzNC13x1MtE8PKWAaPcfP/s320/TMJ2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695371130511016434" />
They are essential joints: we use them for common activities like speaking and eating.
This is due, in part, because TMJ disorders can be medically elusive, with complexities that are not quite completely understood.


The Causes

TMJ disorders can be caused by one single factor, but they are more commonly caused by multiple factors.
Tightening of the jaw, head, neck and face muscles can lead to jaw pain, and a jaw that is stiff and unyielding.
A TMJ disorder may also be a response to misalignment of the jaw joint, structural problems within the jaw joint, or an injury a jaw may sustain through sports or accidents.
For instance, some people may have been born with structural problems or other birth defects that affect the alignment of the jaw.
Some people may have jaw displacement caused by a tumor or a wrongly positioned disc.


Risk Factors

While not all risk factors for TMJ disorders have been uncovered, most people afflicted with a TMJ disorder do possess commonalities among their lifestyles.
Though age and sex aren't huge risk factors, TMJ disorders do tend to affect people between the ages of 20 and 50.


Symptoms

The symptoms of TMJ disorders aren't necessarily limited to the jaw.
The most common symptoms are joint and muscle pain, noise when the jaw opens and closes, inability to fully open the mouth or pain when doing so, and a locked jaw.
They may come back from time to time, but they usually don't worsen.
Up to 12 percent of people with TMJ disorders have these chronic symptoms, ultimately having chronic pain that impacts their ability to eat, talk, yawn, swallow, and lead a normal life.


Treatment

Treatment of TMJ disorders purposes to relieve jaw pain and restore full function and movement.
This can include wearing splints or bite plates for a set period of time.
Though effective, splints and bite plates should not be used for a lengthy amount of time because they can potentially permanently change the position of the jaw and teeth.


People may also find relief at their dentist office, with some dentists specializing in TMJ disorders.
They may also recommend only eating soft foods for a set amount of time or teach a series of exercises aimed at relieving jaw tension and pain.


But invasive procedures, such as surgery, are usually only reserved for extreme instances: it is recommended that people try less extreme measures before choosing more permanent ones.


Overall, most sufferers of TMJ disorders are sufferers of stress, a factor known to play a role in all kinds of diseases.



About Us: The Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado believes in
The Osteopathic Difference.

The Osteopathic Difference is the application of ""Hands on Therapeutics"" for both the diagnosis and treatment of complaints, disorders, and pain.


While The Center tries to focus on health, and above all else, prevention for all those who cross into its threshold, sometimes the best that can be done is to recognize the source of the ""DIS-EASE,"" and to teach every individual how to manage their symptoms.


Achieving health is also an elusive place, and The Center will work tirelessly to create a path to health which, when embraced by the patient over time, will allow the patient to enjoy a positive return on their rehabilitation investment.
Although the ultimate goal of health is to live without the use of drugs, natural or otherwise, The Center for Osteopathic Medicine recognizes the importance of
medicinals and their appropriate use.
By combining these Manipulative techniques with Structural Integration, massage, meditation and Western Medicine, The Center for Osteopathic Medicine helps people to identify disease before it manifests, quiet pains that have been previously diagnosed as Chronic, and embrace a holistic mindset to Live in the Present- and within that presence, live completely well. ELIMINATE TMJ Click Here!