Treating Jaw Pain and Headaches: Six Red Flags for TMJ Disorders

Many of us can't imagine much joint movement when it comes to the bones of the skull. However, chiropractors and osteopaths have known that movement occurs along these "joints" (sutures) for over 100 years. When a person inhales, the pressure within the chest and head also increases. As a result, the head expands slightly along its sutures. When a person exhales, the opposite occurs.

The closed kinetic chain involving the jaw and skull is known as the stomatognathic system. Nature has integrated jaw and cranial movement such that they are mutually dependent. Since a person chews as often as 1,500 times per day, any muscular imbalance in the jaw will cause temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) pain or dysfunction. This will also limit cranial bone movement, causing fibrous adhesions to form. This is called a cranial fault. Head trauma and birth can also cause cranial faults, which in turn, lead to TMJ dysfunction.

Dental problems like poor dentition or malocclusion can also lead to TMJ related headaches. Therefore a knowledgeable, and skillful dentist is one professional to consult.

Spinal mechanics integrate with the head and jaw like cogs in a cogwheel. This means biomechanical irregularities within the spine can contribute to TMJ disorders, headaches, and cranial faults. The alignment of the first cervical vertebra (atlas) can affect the occipital nerves, and trigger headaches as well as jaw problems. Because correct spinal alignment is so important to proper jaw and skull movement, a chiropractic physician is also instrumental to obtaining relief.

Proper diagnosis is possible in any medical profession, but the ideal diagnostician is a professional applied kinesiologist, who can rapidly assess the spine, TMJ, and cranium. Chiropractors with this technique can offer natural treatments like cranial or spinal manipulation, orthopedic massage to the muscles of mastication, acupuncture, etc. Once the muscles are adequately balanced, normal movement is achieved and pain disappears.

Here is a simple checklist to determine if this situation describes you or someone you love:

1. Are you unable to swallow with the mouth partially open?
2. Does your jaw click, pop, lock, or grind when you chew?
3. Does one eye/nostril look bigger than the other?
4. When you chew, or open your mouth as wide as you can, does the jaw veer off to one side?
5. Are you unable to fit three knuckles of your non-dominant hand into your mouth?
6. When you have a headache, is it made better by changing how you breathe?

Yes to any of these questions indicates TMJ dysfunction, regardless of current symptoms. Ignoring this will prolong and enable unnecessary headaches, neck and jaw pain. I recommend professional treatment.

For more information on applied kinesiology or to "Find an AK Dr" go to http://www.icak.com.