Treatment for TMJ: Empowering Your Patients with Self-Help Methods
The following article by Gail Falzon, RN was published in Dec. 2011 on www.Massage-Education.com.
According to statistics, muscle dysfunction accounts for 85% of all pain syndromes. This is especially true for those suffering from any craniofacial pain such as TMJD, headaches, whiplash, atypical face pain/neuralgias and cervical pain. Patients presenting with head, neck and jaw pain can be challenging as there are multiple components to assess and treat.
According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the most common form of TMJD is myofascial pain, yet it is not taught in dental schools. When a dentist uses a bite splint as treatment for TMJ, to unload the joint and/ or realign the bite, it causes a relaxation effect. Attempts to relax the muscle simply cause an active trigger point (TrP) to become latent leaving the patient and dentist with the impression that all is well.
Neglecting trigger point infestation as a possible component of the patient’s symptoms can actually cause more harm and possible permanent damage to the tissues if treatment for TMJ is not sought; and as you know… that latent TrP will be back causing pain and dysfunction once again. Will your patients and clients know what to do when this happens?
There are clinical studies out that show a significant difference in bite mechanics before and after releasing the muscle dysfunction. Ideally, the muscles should be completely “released” prior to splinting or braces and that’s why some patients have more pain with their bite splints. You can see a graphic entitled, “Changes in Bite Mechanics” under notes at www.facebook.com/tmjpainsolutions.
This is a picture worth a thousand words and if the mandible can shift this much, it’s easy to see how intra-oral TrPs can also pull the cranial sutures out of alignment causing headaches of all kinds. Muscles in spasm can also cause clicking or popping in the joint. Sometimes, simply releasing the TrPs can put the TM joint back in alignment and stop the clicking.
There are very few modalities of medicine that assess and/or treat intra-oral TrPs which is critical to the long-term success of these patients. Massage and other therapists (in most states) are not allowed to enter an “orifice” including the mouth, but there is now a self-help treatment for TMJ available to help our patients.
Personally, after suffering a whiplash and head injury in a motor vehicle accident, it not only exacerbated a pre-existing TMJ disorder, but also caused me to have headaches around the clock. There seemed to be no medication or treatment for TMJ to help ease the pain and I was convinced by an oral surgeon that I needed a full reconstructive jaw surgery. Not only did the surgery not work, it made the pain symptoms worse.
Desperate for help, I asked for a physical therapy evaluation and was very fortunate to find a PT well versed in intra-oral TrP release. She taught me how to self-treat, and for the first time, I experienced true pain relief that surprisingly was almost immediate.
Because the jaw pain treatment was so profound, I began teaching and treating others while continuing research efforts. It soon became evident that both reaching all five muscle groups inside the mouth (without gagging), and following the release response all the way through was near impossible with fingers and thumbs alone.
Based on years of research and product development, the patented MyoFree® Solution was born. The self-help “kit” consists of the easy-to-use MyoFree® massage tool and the easy-to-learn Inside-Outside™ Technique. The instructional DVD uses 3D animation of the muscle groups to teach location and jaw pain treatment of intra-oral trigger points using ischemic pressure. A full color quick start guide is also included showing an open mouth diagram and written instruction to compliment the video.
The MyoFree Solution is a life-long, self-help, pain-relief system that teaches a patient how to self-manage their pain symptoms for the rest of their lives! The real beauty of the system is that anyone can easily learn the techniques.
Anyone who has suffered a head injury, whiplash, has TMJD and/or headaches should be made aware of these self-help techniques. As therapists, we pride ourselves on home care programs to help keep our patients healthy and out of pain by providing knowledge that will empower them to become involved in their own wellness.
The presence of TrPs can be primary or secondary, but either way, can perpetuate disability and worsen the prognosis if not considered and treated. I have learned through the years that intra-oral TrP release has a huge cervical component, helps headaches of all kinds including migraine, can make tinnitus completely disappear, and facial neuralgias that have been misdiagnosed as permanent nerve damage may simply be from a TrP within the muscles of mastication rather than true nerve damage.
Any therapy that can eradicate or control TrPs should become a standard part of the total treatment intervention for these difficult to treat conditions.
Dr. David G. Simons, MD, known to most of us as the “father” of trigger point therapy, wrote a two page testimonial about the MyoFree® Solution. You can find his testimonial along with others from professionals and patients, short video clips, all five pain referral patterns and more medical content at our web site, www.tmjpainsolutions.com.
The MyoFree® Solution is manufactured by The Pressure Positive Company and is available at www.pressurepositive.com.
