To begin with, TMJ is a joint that moves and adjusts the position of the condyle and disc based on the body’s posture and the position of the teeth when they come together. The incorrect position of the teeth has been known to cause several issues that can affect the whole body, including your neck. It could even cause TMD.
TMD, also known as temporomandibular or jaw joint disorder, is a condition that affects the whole body and can be influenced by factors such as the health of TMJ, posture, hormones, stress, diet and many more factors.
This reverberation effect doesn’t stop at the neck. It also affects your shoulders, back, pelvis, and legs.
TMJ experts have observed that around 70% of cases where people experience neck pain have been associated with Temporomandibular disorders. The same study found that the correlation between neck disability and jaw disability was significantly high. The study also goes on to emphasize that poor neck posture can also lead to jaw dysfunction and pain in jaw and neck.
Self-diagnosing TMJ can be a bit difficult since it is complex and deals with the entire body. A visit to a TMJ Specialist can help determine if your neck pain is a result of TMD. However, there are a few symptoms that can help you do an initial self-diagnosis that can help you determine whether you should pay a visit to a TMJ specialist. You can read about some of these symptoms in our in-depth guide: How To Know If It Is TMJ Disorder Or Something Else? It can also help you distinguish TMJ Pain from normal pain.
The correlation between TMJ and neck pain emphasizes the need for an optimized bite. An optimized bite is essential for establishing a harmonious balance in the TMJ, teeth, shoulder, neck, head, and hips. There are several techniques that can help optimize a bad bite. GNeuromuscular orthotics is considered one of the best treatments by TMJ specialists all over the world. We’ll shortly discuss other treatment options available, but before that, let’s focus on GNeuromuscular orthotics.
A GNM orthotics specialist may use orthotic devices such as a TMJ splint or TMJ mouthguard to treat your condition. These can aid in solving several issues, including anterior open bite, neck pain and cervical problems.
In order to treat the Neck Pain arising out of TMJ Disorder, A TMJ specialist will have to diagnose the cause of the neck pain. Depending on the determined cause, the TMJ expert will then offer a treatment that can ease your neck pain caused due to TMD. The TMJ expert will suggest one of the following treatment options.
Orofacial therapy offers jaw and neck pain relief with the help of massages such as Functional Neuro Myofascial Massage Technique (FNFT) and also uses Low Level Laser Therapy to help relieve neck ache.
Myofunctional therapy is another non-invasive treatment option for neck pain caused due to TMJ disorders. It helps relieve TMJ neck pain by strengthening your tongue and orofacial muscles.
Airway orthodontics is dental speciality that focuses on correcting malpositioned jaws to treat sleep and breathing disorders. Since an incorrect jaw position is often responsible for forward neck posture, correcting a malpositioned jaw can also ease neck pain.
Tongue tie release procedure releases the fascia to ensure regular jaw movements. Typically, your head follows your tongue, which means that head slouches low and tilts forward if a person has a tongue tie. This affects the surrounding muscles causing neck and back pain. Therefore getting tongue tie release treatment can help relieve your neck pain.
Reaching out to a reputed TMJ doctor can help you identify the root cause of your neck pain. Once the cause of your neck pain has been determined, you can get it treated by the industry’s leading TMJ expert at our TMJ, Tongue Tie, and Sleep Institute.
We encourage you to get a TMJ diagnosis soon, as leaving TMJ disorder untreated can cause issues that can affect the quality of your life. Reading our guide: What Happens If Tmj Disorders Are Left Untreated? should help you understand the necessity of getting it treated.
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