3 Simple Exercises to Ease a Painful Jaw (TMJ)
Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull, which are in front of each ear. It lets you move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn.
Problems with your jaw and the muscles in your face that control it are known as temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD).
Injury to your jaw, the joint, or the muscles of your head and neck, such as from a heavy blow or whiplash, can lead to TMD. Other causes include:
📌Grinding or clenching your teeth, puts a lot of pressure on the joint
📌Movement of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket of the joint
📌Arthritis in the joint
📌Stress, which can cause you to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth
🏋️♂️Physical therapy has been shown to reduce pain, reduce clicking, improve strength and improve jaw mobility for those with TMD.
Today’s video shows 3 simple exercises to ease TMJ pain:
- 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞: Clench jaw together and feel muscle contract. Relax jaw and massage muscle front to back until muscle relaxes. Perform for about 2-5 minutes.
- 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐌𝐉 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Slowly move your jaw side to side through out its full range of motion. Repeat 3 sets of 10 reps each side.
- 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐌𝐉 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Gently resist your mouth opening by placing pressure on the bottom of your chin. Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps.