TMJ Relief in Upper Darby for Jaw Pain and Tightness
If you are experiencing jaw pain, facial tightness, difficulty opening your mouth, or painful clicking around the jaw joint, you may be dealing with a temporomandibular disorder, commonly called TMD or TMJ dysfunction.
At Everybody’s Chiropractic Center, we provide conservative TMJ relief in Upper Darby for appropriate patients when jaw symptoms are associated with muscle tension, neck dysfunction, posture, or other musculoskeletal factors.
What Is TMJ Dysfunction?
The temporomandibular joints connect your lower jaw to your skull. Problems involving these joints or the muscles controlling the jaw are referred to as temporomandibular disorders, or TMDs.
Symptoms may include:
- Jaw pain or tenderness
- Painful clicking or popping
- Difficulty or discomfort when chewing
- Tightness in the jaw or facial muscles
- Limited jaw movement
- Neck tension
- Headaches that occur along with jaw discomfort
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research provides additional information about TMD symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options.
How We Evaluate TMJ Relief in Upper Darby
Jaw pain does not always have the same cause. Therefore, we first evaluate your symptoms, health history, neck movement, posture, muscle tension, and other factors that may be contributing to the problem.
When appropriate, conservative care may focus on improving movement and reducing musculoskeletal tension surrounding the jaw, neck, and upper spine.
Patients who also experience cervical discomfort can learn more about our neck pain treatment in Upper Darby.
Can Chiropractic Care Help TMJ Symptoms?
For some patients, jaw discomfort occurs along with restricted neck movement, muscle tension, posture problems, or headaches.
Chiropractic care may be used as part of a conservative treatment approach when examination findings suggest that musculoskeletal factors are contributing to symptoms.
Treatment should be individualized, and persistent jaw symptoms may also require evaluation by a dentist, physician, or other appropriate healthcare provider.
Other Conservative Treatment Options
Depending on your examination findings, care may include:
- Gentle chiropractic treatment
- Soft-tissue techniques
- Neck and posture work
- Therapeutic exercises
- Recommendations for reducing muscle tension
- Coordination with dental or medical providers when appropriate
NIDCR recommends beginning with simpler, conservative approaches for many TMDs and cautions against treatments that permanently change the jaw joint or bite unless clearly indicated.
Can SoftWave Therapy Be Used Around TMJ-Related Muscle Pain?
SoftWave Therapy is one of the conservative technologies available at Everybody’s Chiropractic Center for certain musculoskeletal conditions.
Whether it is appropriate depends on the individual problem and examination findings. Learn more about SoftWave Therapy at Everybody’s Chiropractic Center.
When Should Jaw Pain Be Evaluated?
Consider having persistent symptoms evaluated if you experience:
- Ongoing or worsening jaw pain
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
- Pain while chewing
- Jaw locking
- Persistent facial or neck pain
- Headaches associated with jaw tension
Because jaw pain can have several causes, proper evaluation is important before beginning treatment.
Schedule a TMJ Evaluation in Upper Darby
If jaw discomfort, neck tension, or facial tightness is interfering with your daily activities, contact Everybody’s Chiropractic Center to discuss whether conservative care may be appropriate.
Everybody’s Chiropractic Center
115 E Township Line Road, Upper Darby, PA 19082 — View on Google Maps
Call: 610-789-1800
Everybody’s Chiropractic Center proudly serves patients from Upper Darby, Havertown, Drexel Hill, Springfield, Broomall, Clifton Heights, Lansdowne, Aldan, Collingdale, Darby, Yeadon, Media, Newtown Square, Ardmore, Wynnewood, Bala Cynwyd, and surrounding Delaware County and nearby Philadelphia communities seeking trusted chiropractic and conservative pain care.