TMJ headaches can be caused by many factors, most of which can't be relieved by aspirin or most pain relievers. In this article we'll talk about what causes these headaches and what you can do to stop them and cure your TMJ for good.
These TMJ headaches are incredibly painful and will certainly keep you up at night. As a TMJ sufferer myself, I've been through these too often to count. I've found a few ways to lessen the pain which I'll share a little later. First I want to explain why you're getting them.
The pure function of your temporomandibular joint affects the open and closing of your jaw. When this joint is inflamed or damaged, it causes the muscles to spasm. The muscles spasm because your jaw isn't opening or closing properly. As the muscles spasm, it causes muscles in the neck, face, shoulders, and head to tighten up and be pulled. This is the cause of the dull TMJ headaches.
Another headache you'll get isn't related to the muscles, but related more to the nerves around the TM joint. As your joint becomes inflamed it puts pressure on the nerves around the joint and ear. There are many nerves in this part of your face which shoot pain up in and around the ear and into the head. These are the most common TMJ headaches, and the most painful. Also, these are the hardest to cure because they affect the nerves rather than the muscles.
Anti-inflammatory such as Aleeve can work well, but they lose their effectiveness over time. I've been using a Dixie cup filled about 1/4 full with water and freezing it. I then rub the frozen end of the Dixie cup in circular motions around my TM joint area. This seems to help too. I've also been using some exercises that have been giving me longer term relief and are helping more than anything.
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