TMJ Symptoms and Treatment with Your West Hartford Chiropractor

TMJ is an acronym for temporomandibular joint syndrome and refers to a condition in which the jaw experiences pain or damage within the muscles that control jaw movement. It is a relatively common condition that is usually not considered serious, but it can be quite uncomfortable and cause a disruption to your normal schedule of eating, drinking or teeth cleaning. The temporomandibular joint is one of the most complicated joint structures in the body because of its unique function of serving as a hinge to control the open and closing movement of the lower jaw.

What Causes TMJ?

As with many joint or dental problems, TMJ can be caused by a variety of physical injuries or health issues. Some of the most common situations that may result in development of TMJ are various arthritic conditions, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, chronic teeth grinding and an injury to the jaw. Any one of these scenarios can cause damage to the jaw that results in an erosion or misalignment of the bones, joints or cartilage in that area.

Symptoms of TMJ

Although any type of pain in the jaw may be a possible indication of the development of TMJ, there are some specific symptoms people with this condition commonly experience. They include:

• Difficulty with chewing
• Continuous pain in or around the ear
• Difficulty in opening or closing the mouth
• Facial aches

Chiropractic Treatment for TMJ

One of the reasons to choose a chiropractor for dealing with TMJ pain is that chiropractors specialize in the health and maintenance of the musculoskeletal structure. Joint problems are issues that we deal with on a daily basis and our core treatment modality -- manual joint manipulation -- works to quickly alleviate acute or chronic pain. Because we work from the inside out, towards creating total alignment of the spine, we seek to identify any areas throughout the vertebral column that may be causing or contributing to the problems you may be experiencing due to TMJ disorder.

Schedule an Appointment with Your West Hartford Chiropractor

West Hartford Chiropractic is pleased to offer all new clients a no-obligation consultation! If you have concerns about TMJ or other joint issues and want to learn more about how chiropractic can help alleviate your pain quickly, naturally and without surgical intervention, call us today!