Temporomandibular Joint
Dysfunction (TMD)
What we’re treating:
Painful clicking
Jaw muscular pain
Locked jaw (ie unable to fully open or close)
Post TMJ-related surgery
Possibly associated:
headaches
tinnitus (ear noise)
dizziness and vertigo
How we treat it:
Education - explain the ‘what’ & ‘why’ of your condition
Joint mobilisations - particularly for TMD-related locked jaw, we treat the joint directly
Massage - for symptom control and taking pressure of joint
Exercise prescription - TMD likes to come back, we will want to give you exercises to help prevent that
TMD - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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No. You can start with Physiotherapy for these presentations and if we find anything that requires medical screening or attention, we can write you a letter for your doctor.
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The joint techniques are typically surprisingly comfortable. Massage techniques (like on any tight muscle) can be tender but we can decide together how my pressure to apply.
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On average:
patients with clicking or muscle pain often only require 1-2 follow-ups to learn all the tools they need to resolve the conditions and prevent recurrence.
patients with locked jaws typically have increased range with every session and keep gains between sessions. They can often require several session if there is significant range loss.