Conquering Jaw Pain with Acupuncture

Many of my patients suffer from TMJ and they are not alone: this pain affects over 10 million Americans and can involve difficulty chewing, jaw muscle stiffness and painful popping or clicking. It’s uncomfortable to say the least and can become a real health concern by promoting stress within the body.

Although for some people the pain of TMJ goes away on its own, others develop long-term problems and need treatment to help their pain. If you would like to reduce the amount of jaw pain you or a loved one has, keep reading!

My 5 tips for reducing TMJ symptoms:

1. Jaw Exercises

Try opening your mouth as wide as you can without feeling pain, move your jaw to the right and hold for 10 seconds, do the same to the left and repeat five times.
Massage the muscles around your jaw hinge in a downward motion.

2. Relaxation

Stress and anxiety are very common inducers of TMJ. Some people tend to clench their jaw when feeling stressed or anxious, which results in TMJ symptoms.

Practice deep breathing. The best way to do this is to lie on your back, place your left hand on your stomach and right hand on your chest. Count to five to inhale, hold your inhale for two seconds, and exhale for five seconds.

Stretch your spine. Interlock your hands behind your head and bend forward with straight legs so that your head is reaching for the floor. Stay in this position for at least ten seconds accompanied with awareness to breathing. This practice can deeply stretch and relax your spinal chord and reduce TMJ pain.

3. Vitamins and Minerals

Deficiencies in calcium and magnesium are found to be common in people suffering from TMJ. The International Dental Association conducted a study on 50 TMJ sufferers who added calcium and magnesium supplements to their routine and found pain relief in 70 percent of the participants.

Magnesium rich food: Cashews, avocados, almonds soybeans, sesame butter, spinach, squash, sunflower seeds, rice, flaxseed.

Calcium rich food: milk, banana, almond, spinach, coconut, yogurt.

4. Herbal Remedies

Rhus Toxicodendron: This herb can help relieve jaw stiffness.
Kava Root: If your TMJ is due to stress or anxiety, Kava can be used to calm your nervous system and in turn, reduce TMJ symptoms caused by anxiety like a stiff jaw.
Magnesia Phosphorica: This homeopathic remedy can ease muscle stiffness and has an antispasmodic effect.

5. Acupuncture

Acupuncture has proven to be effective in treating TMJ in a number of ways. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, TMJ often represents an imbalance in the liver and gallbladder meridians which traverse the areas usually associated with TMJ pain. Acupuncture points focused on these areas can stimulate the healing process, and return the meridians and the body back to balance, improving your TMJ symptoms.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms know that you aren’t alone and that there are viable treatment methods out there! Don’t be afraid to reach out to the talented and resourceful healers in your community!