TMJ Physical Therapy Katy TX

Do you suffer from headaches, grinding of your teeth, clicking of your jaw or even ear pain? These can all be signs of Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, also known as the temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD). 

This is a disorder of the jaw muscles and nerves caused by an injury to the TMJ, which is the joint between your jaw and skull. The injured temporomandibular joint leads to pain with chewing, clicking, and popping of the jaw; swelling on the sides of the face; nerve inflammation; headaches; tooth grinding; and sometimes dislocation of the temporomandibular joint.

What Causes TMJ Syndrome?

Multiple factors contribute to the muscle tightness and dysfunction that characterize this condition. Most often, poor posture and neck alignment change the pull of the muscles that make your jaw move. This causes painful grinding and irritation of the TMJ. Other causes may include:

• Poor alignment of or trauma to the teeth or jaw
• Teeth grinding
• Poor posture
• Stress
• Arthritis or other inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders
• Excessive gum chewing

Before you consider TMJ surgery, consider TMJ Therapy.

Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers for Comprehensive TMJ Treatment in Katy, TX

Your jaw hinge is called the temporomandibular joint. You’ve seen images of a skull, so you know that joint connects the jaw to the skull in front of the ears. Working properly, the temporomandibular joint moves the jaw easily up and down and side to side. 

Jaw pain can make it difficult to open your mouth completely. You may remember when it all started after a sports injury, car accident, fall, blow to the face or after opening your mouth for a long time, like at the dentist. Some people have arthritis or autoimmune diseases as a cause of their TMJ disorder.

The muscles of your face might spasm, or you might hear and/or feel your jaw catching, clicking, or popping as you eat, sing, or talk. Jaw pain frequently leads to headaches, muscle fatigue, and neck pain, and might lock your jaw.

Benefits of a Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers - Cinco Ranch, TX, Manual Therapy Approach:

• Decrease pain and muscle guarding
• Increase range of motion
• Increase postural awareness
• Restore joint movement around a normal physiological axis
• Preventing unnecessary drug use while providing treatment

Our expert therapists perform thorough assessments at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers Cinco Ranch TX. Once the root cause of your problem has been discovered, a comprehensive plan can be developed to quickly relieve your pain and restore natural movement to your TMJ. Furthermore, our physical therapists will teach you techniques for regaining normal jaw movement for long-lasting results.

The focus of physical therapy for TMJ is relaxation, stretching, and releasing tight muscles and scar tissue. In most cases, physical therapy can resolve TMJ and prevent the need for TMJ surgery. However, in cases where surgery is necessary, physical therapy is a vital part of the recovery process, as it helps minimize scar tissue formation, muscle tightness and allows for a complete recovery.

If you are among the millions of Americans with TMJ, you know how jaw pain impacts your function. TMJ physical therapy at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers - Cinco Ranch can help reduce your jaw pain and improve your life.

TMJ Physical Therapy in Katy, TX

You may have pain and/or reduced function on one or both sides of your jaw with TMJ. Either way, you can get pain relief from TMJ disorder symptoms in Katy, TX, at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers. 

After your assessment, your physical therapist provides treatment in your very first session. In the beginning, the aim is to ease your pain and discomfort. Once the pain and inflammation lessen, the focus shifts from short-term recovery to long-term healing.

During the initial evaluation, your physical therapist asks about what aggravates your symptoms and when and how your jaw pain started. Explain which activities, like eating, singing, and talking, irritate your jaw joint. Your physical therapist will also ask you about what you have tried in the past, which treatments worked, and to what degree. 

Contact Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers for physical therapy TMJ Treatment in Katy, TX, today.

TMJ Treatment FAQs 

What Is TMJ?

TMJ is a painful disorder of the jaw joint. The jawbone is connected to the skull on each side. TMJ disorders cause pain in the joint and muscles that control the movement of the jaw. TMJ has many potential causes, such as genetics, injury, arthritis or clenching or grinding the teeth (bruxism).

Does Physical Therapy Help With TMJ?

TMJ symptoms usually improve and often are eliminated with physical therapy. A physical therapist decreases pain by restoring the natural joint movement with non-invasive therapies. Patients also receive information from physical therapists about lifestyle solutions such as ergonomics and sleep positions to reduce the risk of the return of symptoms.

When Should You Seek Physical Therapy For TMJ?

Seek the advice of a physical therapist for your TMJ if you have persistent pain or a lack of function in your jaw. The first step is always an assessment of your condition before any treatment begins. Physical therapy for TMJ treatment is highly effective, so seek advice as soon as possible. 

Is TMJ Medical or Dental?

Some patients have an underlying medical condition, such as arthritis, that is the cause of their TMJ. Other patients have problems with their teeth that put pressure on the jaw joint, causing TMJ symptoms. Once the symptoms exist in the facial muscles and the jaw joint, treatment from a movement specialist, such as a physical therapist, helps reduce pain and discomfort and improve function.