The jaw joint is called the temporomandibular joint and is made up of three parts, a fibrous portion, a synovial section and a cartilaginous disc. In the olden days a jaw dysfunction was known as Costen’s Syndrome. Essentially there are 3 parts to a TMJ dysfunction, 1. within the TMJ joint, 2. muscles associated with the TMJ joint or 3. a related dysfunction in the spine. Or a combination.
Today a TMJ issue is diagnosed as a Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD). A TMD is characterised by some type of orofacial pain, noise from around the joint and altered jaw mechanics (co-ordination of muscles and joints).
Orofacial pain can include soreness / fullness of the ear, back of head headache, tenderness around the cheek bone, side of head pain, neck discomfort and inside the ear difficulties such as tinnitus or vertigo. Broadly speaking the mechanics can be categorised into an opening or a closing fault. Jaw joint noises are pretty much ignored as not being clinically useful. Noises about the jaw joint are not significant without orofacial pain and altered jaw mechanics.
More unusual signs of a TMD can include pain during chewing, tendency to dribble, temporary paraesthesia (mimics trigeminal nerve pain) in the face but much more common are the postural changes to the head and neck. The jaw is instrumental in informing the brain about head and neck posture.
The Chiropractic View
Within a specifically chiropractic view jaw function is linked with neck function, sacroiliac function headaches, migraines and hip flexion. As the mechanics of the jaw joint worsen then the internal joint can become deranged meaning that retro-discal adhesions, a dehydrated disc, disc malposition or a restriction of the cartilage parts within the synovial section of the jaw joint can occur individually or in combination. The function of the front of the neck is particularly important as this region takes up a lot of brain space and is interwoven with posture and jaw mechanics. Furthermore, Lee always considers the cranial and visceral systems when evaluating jaw concerns.
Self Managment
Simple options to look out for are your posture, head sleeping position, holding the phone too long with the side of your head and the size of your pillow.
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