The body extends from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. However, when thinking about the care that physiotherapy can provide, and the obvious areas, such as the back, legs, shoulders, and arms, it is sometimes easy to forget other areas of the body that we use all the time.
Jaw pain is surprisingly common and can be really debilitating if allowed to develop into a chronic condition. This type of pain stems from issues associated with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and can range from mild irritation to headaches, to severe pain when the jaw is moved.
Issues with the TMJ are referred to as temporomandibular disorder (TMD for short). Those who suffer will know this acronym only too well. TMD can be caused by a range of factors including teeth-grinding from stress, either consciously or in your sleep, arthritis, misalignment of teeth, over-stretching of the jaw and even the way you sleep.
Can physiotherapy help?
As you might anticipate, it certainly can. It might not be the first thing you think of – however, as with any other joint in the body, pain in the jaw can be alleviated and even removed through physiotherapy. Treatment may involve both muscular and joint work and will take into account your posture and your lifestyle, often with a particular focus on stress relief and release of tension in the jaw.
Acupuncture and TMD
Here at Life Made Simple Physiotherapy, we have found that acupuncture, combined with regular physiotherapy treatment, has had a significant positive effect on relieving jaw pain. One client has recently noted that her chronic and long-term jaw pain has been removed almost entirely, following a course of acupuncture and physiotherapy.
Jaw exercises
Unsurprisingly, most people probably don’t consider that there’s a need to exercise their jaw. In fact, there are some simple and effective exercises that can really help to maintain the relief and increased movement achieved through treatment. It’s important though to take advice before embarking on any jaw exercise programme as this needs to be carefully controlled to avoid putting too much pressure on sensitive joints and cartilage.
Contact Us
We look forward to helping you with your physiotherapy needs, tailored to your personal circumstances, through 2021 and beyond. If you are interested in our services feel free to call us on 07309 272 555 or email Physio@Lifemadesimple.co.uk. Life Made Simple - expert physiotherapy in Guildford and Surrey.