What Can I Do for Jaw Pain? How Physical Therapy Can Help TMJ Pain and Headaches
Jaw pain can make surprisingly simple things uncomfortable—chewing, talking, yawning, sleeping, or even opening your mouth wide enough to eat.
For some people, jaw pain also comes with headaches, facial pain, clicking or popping, ear symptoms, or neck pain. You may have been told you have TMJ pain or TMD, but still aren't sure what you are supposed to do about it.
The good news is that many jaw problems can be treated conservatively. Physical therapy can help address the jaw itself while also looking at the neck, muscles, movement patterns, and other factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
What Causes Jaw Pain?
The temporomandibular joint, commonly called the TMJ, is the joint connecting your jaw to your skull. Temporomandibular disorders, or TMD, refer to a broader group of problems involving the joint, muscles, and surrounding structures.
Jaw pain can be associated with:
Irritation of the TMJ
Tight or painful jaw muscles
Clenching or grinding
Limited jaw mobility
Poor coordination when opening and closing the mouth
Neck pain or limited neck mobility
Changes in how the jaw moves from side to side
Increased stress and muscle tension
Dental or bite-related factors
Because there are several potential contributors, successful treatment starts with figuring out why your jaw hurts, rather than simply treating the painful area.
Why Can Jaw Pain Cause Headaches?
The jaw, head, and neck are closely related.
Muscles involved in chewing can become painful and sensitive. The upper neck can also contribute to certain types of headaches and facial symptoms. Some people therefore experience a combination of jaw pain, headaches, facial tension, and neck discomfort rather than one isolated problem.
This is one reason a physical therapy evaluation for jaw pain shouldn't only look at the TMJ.
We assess how your jaw moves, but we also look at your neck mobility, muscle function, posture when relevant, and the coordination of the jaw and surrounding muscles.
How Does Physical Therapy Help Jaw Pain?
At Summit Physical Therapy, treatment progresses based on what is actually limiting you.
1. Reduce Pain and Irritation
Early treatment focuses on identifying what makes your symptoms better or worse.
This may include temporarily modifying aggravating activities, discussing strategies for chewing or jaw positioning, and using hands-on treatment when appropriate to reduce pain and muscle sensitivity.
The goal isn't to avoid using your jaw indefinitely. It's to calm the problem down enough that we can start restoring normal function.
2. Restore Jaw and Neck Mobility
Some patients have difficulty opening their mouth fully. Others can open their mouth but the jaw shifts, feels tight, or moves differently from one side to the other.
We assess both the TMJ and cervical spine, because limitations in the neck may coexist with jaw pain and headaches.
Treatment may include specific mobility exercises and manual therapy directed toward the areas that are actually restricted.
3. Improve Jaw Control and Coordination
Having enough range of motion isn't the entire goal. Your jaw also needs to move well.
We may work on controlled opening and closing, side-to-side movement, and coordination of the muscles responsible for controlling the jaw.
This can be especially important if your jaw deviates when opening, feels unstable, or clicks during certain movements.
4. Improve Muscle Performance
Rehabilitation can progress toward improving the endurance and capacity of the muscles around the jaw, neck, shoulders, and upper body when deficits in these areas are contributing to the problem.
This is where physical therapy becomes more than temporary symptom relief.
The goal is to improve your body's ability to tolerate the things you need to do every day without repeatedly aggravating your symptoms.
5. Return to Normal Life
Ultimately, successful jaw rehabilitation isn't measured by how many exercises you can perform.
It's whether you can comfortably:
Eat the foods you want
Talk without increasing symptoms
Yawn and open your mouth normally
Get through the workday without increasing jaw or neck tension
Exercise comfortably
Reduce the frequency or intensity of associated headaches
Stop constantly thinking about your jaw
Your treatment should progressively move toward the activities that matter to you.
Do I Need to See a Dentist or a Physical Therapist for Jaw Pain?
Sometimes, both.
Jaw pain can involve the joint and muscles, but dental problems and other medical conditions can also cause facial or jaw pain.
A physical therapist can evaluate the musculoskeletal components of your symptoms and determine whether physical therapy is appropriate. When something appears to require dental or medical evaluation, we can help point you in the appropriate direction.
For patients who already have a dentist, oral surgeon, or other provider involved in their care, physical therapy can also be part of a coordinated treatment plan.
Physical Therapy for Jaw Pain and Headaches Near Summit, NJ
You don't necessarily have to live with recurring jaw pain, headaches, or facial tension.
At Summit Physical Therapy, we evaluate the jaw, neck, and surrounding movement system to determine what is contributing to your symptoms and build a treatment plan designed to progressively restore normal function.
We work with patients from Summit, Short Hills, Millburn, Maplewood, Chatham, Florham Park, New Providence, Springfield, and South Orange, New Jersey who are looking for physical therapy for TMJ disorders, jaw pain, headaches, and associated neck pain.
If jaw pain or headaches are interfering with eating, working, exercising, or everyday life, a physical therapy evaluation can help determine what is driving the problem and what you can do about it.