All over the world, including, of course, the American states, there exists a large number of people who suffer from problems in their temporomandibular joints of the jaw. Greater researches into these problems have made the symptoms of this problem more recognizable by doctors as well. The most common symptoms of TMJ disorders make an appearance as inflammations at and near the jaw joint area, migraine related headaches, improper biting techniques, a laborious chewing process, none of which can be got rid off easily. The physicians can now even point out certain TMJ symptoms, which, till a few years back, were not known to be related to TMJ at all. In order to get a feel of the real life problems that these unusual symptoms of TMJ posed to patients, a few case studies have also been described here.
The distance of the temporomandibular joint from other parts of the bony parts of the skull is negligible, mainly from an anatomical point of view. As an example, the mid area of the ear can be cited, which lies at no more than an inch from the joint. The area is highly delicate, and has a ligament running to it, that keeps it connected to the TMJ. Pains emanating from the TMJ area also manifest themselves quickly in the muscles of the neck, which shows that, the neck and the joint cannot be located too far apart. The same factors can be held responsible for the presence of tinnitus resembling sounds in the ears of the people suffering from TMJ problems. The case is yet to be resolved as to whether tinnitus is a causal feature of TMJ disorders, or if the latter causes the tinnitus ailments.
A Look At The Less Commonly Noted Symptoms Of TMJ:
• Ringing sounds in the ear, similar to what the tinnitus patients get to hear. This symptom is mainly brought to light via the actions of the Pinto’s Ligament, which is the connecting region between the mid area of the ear and the temporomandibular joint, serving as a passage for transmission (both ways),
• The area near the jaw (more particularly, the cheek) gets affected as a result of the TMJ disorders. Such adverse effects generally show up as swellings on the sides of the face that have been actually affected. Not all TMJ patients, however, suffer from this symptom of the ailment, making it somewhat rare,
• Hurting sensations in the shoulder, often of a serious and intense nature. Such shoulder pains start off from one particular side of the body, and travel along the muscles of the neck. Other areas can also become affected,
• While not many TMJ patients actually suffer from vertigo, at least in the initial stages, they do often talk of a certain giddy feeling. This generally starts of with the afflicted person feeling queer and lightheaded, and his/her head starting to spin. These problems can soon assume much more serious proportions as well,
• It is also observed that, if a TMJ patient happens to be more than 50 years old, (s)he is increasingly likely to experience a numb feeling in his/her fingers. Driving a car and/or signing documents become impossible in such cases. Thankfully, these situations do not last for long, and relief is obtained without any separate medications either.
While the above cases summarize some of the more important unusual symptoms of TMJ ailments, such symptoms have, in actuality, a much broader operating spectrum. In the following case studies, we would, in the very words of actual TMJ patients, find out more about the varied nature of these symptoms:
Case Study 1 Absence of TMJ aches, but the jaw pops out at regular intervals:
According to a sufferer of the TMJ problems, this was the main troublesome symptom (s)he faced. The following is what (s)he had to say on this topic: “I have suffered from problems with my TMJ since I was a child. When I was 10 years old, my mother used to complain of me clicking my teeth on a spoon when I ate. The trouble is, my teeth never came near the spoon. The sound she heard came from my jaw popping. My jaw now dislocates constantly. I can t eat pizza or french bread, or even sing, without it locking. I wake up several times each night having to relocate my jaw. There is no pain just a jaw that can t seem to function normally. Brux guards do nothing. In fact, the only thing that seems to keep my jaw from popping and sticking is applying pressure to the left TMJ. I have to sleep these days with a hard pillow pressing against the joint, or it pops out constantly. It s clear that something is keeping my jaw from aligning properly, but no one seems to be able to help me fix it.” The name of the patient is however, not disclosed.
Case Study 2 Repeated Saliva Gulping Tendencies:
This specific TMJ symptom can be made clearer via the direct narrative of a patient who actually experienced its effects. Speaking on this symptom, the concerned TMJ patient had this to say: “I never clench or grind my teeth but I am constantly doing it now. The side of my face in front of my ear feels swollen, as does that side of my neck and the ear itself. My neck and shoulders ache, and I am constantly swallowing saliva. The back of my neck hurts. My ear rings and kind of feels numb at times. The predominant symptom I have is the neck pain. Even the bone in back of my last tooth feels bad”. Here too, we would not be disclosing the actual name of the patient.
Case Study 3 At Distances Of Even Five Feet, Click Sounds Of The Jaw Being Rendered Audible:
As TMJ patients try to open their jaws, certain clicking sounds (often at fairly loud levels) can be emitted. The following is the experience of one such sufferer of the TMJ disorders: “I have had joint pain and severe popping and cracking in my right jaw for 20 years. I am now 35. I have tried all the recommended treatments and have had very little success (braces, night guards etc.). I experience headaches, ear fullness and pain, facial pain in front of my ear, extreme pain when opening my mouth wide to yawn or laugh or eat followed by cracking (that can be heard up to 5 feet away) and dislocation.”
Getting Rid Of TMJ Disorders: Advisability Of The Natural Procedures
It is often recommended to the TMJ patients that they should take up treatment methods of TMJ problems, which have a natural base. While these remedies, often made at home, do have their beneficial features, they fall into the same trap as do the conventional treatment modes and medicines that are available without prescriptions – viz, targeting only the symptoms of the TMJ problem, and not the reasons that lie behind it. This is where the holistic treatment modes score over these medications, since the former considers the entire bodily system of the patient as a complete unit, and drives out the root causes of the problem, after detecting them systematically. With the exodus of these TMJ disorder causing factors, the symptoms of the disease go away too, never to return again. Hence, for getting a lasting relief from the TMJ troubles, the holistic methods are considered to be the best option.
Author Resource:
Sandra Carter is a medical researcher, certified nutritionist, health consultant and author of the best-selling e-book, "TMJ No More- Proven Holistic System of Curing TMJ, Bruxism and Whiplash". For further information visit: http://www.tmjatoz.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")