TMJ
Symptoms
TMJ is the acronym associated with temporomandibular joint disorder. The temporomandibular joints can be found on each side of the face in front of the ears. The Merck Manual of Medical Information refers to the temporomandibular joint as "the most complicated joint in the body" because of its wide range of movement. It is one of the few joints that can move from side to side as well as backwards and forwards. It can also open and close like the hinge on a gate.
The vast majority of people who have problems with TMJ are women, and they usually develop the condition between the ages of 20 and 50. (I am female and I developed TMJ in my late thirties). I know from personal experience that the pain of TMJ can be excruciating. When my jaw was at it's worst I could only eat soup and baby food for days on end.
Symptoms directly linked to TMJ include:
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Inability to chew or bite down on hard foods
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Pain in the joint and the surrounding areas
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- Ringing in the ears
- Plugged ears
- Ear pain
Conditions Linked to TMJ Based on Recent Studies:
TMJ is common in people who also have:
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Hypermobile joints (also called joint laxity or double jointedness)
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or another form of a connective tissue disorder
Conditions Linked to TMJ Based on My Own Experience and My Email:
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- Dental work
- Car accidents - I get a lot of email about that
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Using a mouse with your hand on the side of your body where you have TMJ
- Magnesium deficiency
- Playing a musical instrument that puts pressure on your hands or neck
TMJ pain is often due to muscle tightness around the joint or tension in another part of the body pulling on the joint. The traditional medical and dental view of TMJ is to treat the jaw because that is where the patient is hurting. A holistic medical view, and the only one that ever helped me personally, is to look at the person's body as a whole and find out what other parts of the body may be putting pressure on the jaw and pulling it out of alignment. One important point I discovered in my search for a cure for my TMJ is that where I hurt is not necessarily the source of my pain. If you want to get rid of TMJ pain forever, you have to find the source of the pain and tension in your body.
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