Care for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder in Vienna, Virginia (VA)

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is an extremely painful and debilitating condition that can affect everyone regardless of age. While the precise cause of TMD is unknown, several risk factors have been identified, including trauma, stress, and repetitive overuse, to name a few. Thankfully, chiropractic care can address the underlying cause of this condition and help you ultimately heal from this disorder.

• We start with a thorough consultation, physical examination, and digital x-ray analysis
• Next, we diagnose the cause of your pain
• Then, we create a personalized treatment plan to address the root cause of your jaw pain
• Finally, we provide Chiropractic care and relevant therapies to help you get your life back.

Visit our chiropractor, Dr. Gustitus, in Vienna, Virginia (VA), and he will help you handle the condition.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) is a common condition that affects many people, especially in their 30s and 40s. It is a chronic condition characterized by pain, clicking, popping, and locking temporomandibular joints.

The TMJ is located in the jaw and connects your lower jawbone to your skull. At its best, a healthy TMJ allows you to open and close your mouth easily and chew and speak properly.

TMJ Disorder is often accompanied by myofascial pain, which is often caused by trigger points in muscles, headaches, and other musculoskeletal problems. The underlying cause of TMJ disorders is unknown, but can be related to forward head posture, spinal misalignments in the upper neck, chronic stress, and dental problems.

Conventional wisdom believes that jaw misalignment causes stress on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), leading to inflammation of the joint capsule and muscles of mastication.

Symptoms of TMD include:

• Pain when opening or closing your mouth
• Muscle spasms in the jaw muscles
• Clicking or popping sounds when opening or closing your mouth
• Ear pain associated with chewing food

A chiropractor will start by reviewing your medical history and performing an examination. Typically, they’ll ask you about the symptoms you’re experiencing and establish the underlying jaw disease.

The chiropractor will also identify any signs of imbalance or misalignment in your jaw joints and neck. So by gently moving different parts of your head and neck, they can check for muscle tightness, restrictions, or other abnormalities that could be causing issues with your TMJ.

Chiropractic support may help relieve symptoms of TMJD. A chiropractor will use gentle adjustments to correct the misalignments found in the spine, pelvis, or joints throughout the body and relieve pressure on nerves. This will help alleviate pain, relax tight muscles, and other TMJD-associated symptoms.

Chiropractors often recommend a combination of care, including:

• Spinal Adjustments – It involves using the hands to gently move the vertebrae back into position which takes the pressure off damaged and irritated nerves to relieve pain.
• Therapeutic Exercises -These exercises are tailored to your specific needs yet aimed at strengthening your muscles while improving the healing process.
• Corrective Spinal Traction – If you are found to have abnormal spinal curvatures, Dr. Gustitus will utilize advanced spinal analysis to create a specific traction setup to help you restore a healthy curvature and release tension on stretched and irritated nerves.
• Cold Laser – Low level laser therapy helps to reduce pain and inflammation in the case of TMJD and promotes healing and repair of damaged tissues.
• Cranial therapy: Cranial therapy uses gentle pressure on specific points along the skull to relieve stress on the brain stem, which may reduce TMJD symptoms.

Are you frustrated by your TMJD pain and the lack of non-invasive solutions for your jaw pain? Worry no more. Contact us at Whole Body Health today to schedule an appointment with our Chiropractor in Vienna, Virginia (VA). We can help you feel better quickly and get back to a pain-free life.

References

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15066-temporomandibular-disorders-tmd-overview
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tmj/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350945
3. https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd
4. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/temporomandibular-disorder-tmd
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25822556/

At Whole Body Health, we offer corrective chiropractic care for pain relief, degenerative joint, muscle, and nerve conditions, and functional medicine for whole body wellness. Additionally, we offer affordable wellness care plans for those looking to continue to remain healthy once their problem is corrected. Book an appointment with us today!

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