Understanding TMJ disorders
TMJ disorders are multi-factorial and contribute to many biopsychosocial factors. It is the most complexed designed joint in the body and may be prone to dysfunction due to the constant use, such as chewing and talking in everyday activities that we don’t tend to take much notice of, until something goes wrong.
Some contributing factors that have been studied and considered as more common triggers include:
Sleep disorders - sleep apnea, bruxism, restless leg syndrome (relationship with the central nervous system, causing rapid jaw movement while sleeping, believed to be the body’s response to prevent airway obstruction)
Dysfunction of the TMJ disc leading to limited range of movement of the jaw – it is not well understood how disc displacement occurs, however in most circumstance, it is believed to resolve itself overtime
Alcohol – a stimulant that causes hyper-excitability of the neurotransmitters to the brain, hence resulting an excessive jaw clenching action, often occurring while asleep
Psychological factors such as anxiety and depression
External factors such as cold weather, or working out at the gym, which may lead a person to clench more than they should (known as awake bruxism)
As you can see, all of the above examples come from a myriad of causes. Therefore, being aware of your habits and triggers may assist in solving a bigger picture of the root cause.
Resources & Further reading
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea/link-between-sleep-apnea-and-teeth-grinding
https://tmj.org/living-with-tmj/diagnosis-and-related-conditions/displaced-disc/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002817716305414
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.564431/full
Did you know…? Your strongest muscle in the body doesn’t actually get trained at the gym.
Well… theoretically, it is the strongest muscle in your body – by weight. It’s the masseter – connected to the jaw, and used for chewing or eating. The masseter, together with a few of the major muscles (shown on picture) can withstand up to 90kg of chewing force, to break down the food before entering the digestive system.
It’s no wonder people who have TMJ disorders, or any clenching/grinding habits that you may or may not be aware of, has a strong enough force to crack your teeth or lead to complicated TMJ joint or jaw dysfunction.
Take a look at this (simplified) picture of the jaw muscle, some understanding of where they are can assist you in doing some self-massage and myofascial release. The 2 main large superficial muscles – masseter and temporalis, contributes to many jaw pain and temporal headaches.
The other 2 muscles – medial and lateral pterygoid, are hidden inside your cheeks, can be felt if you put your (index) finger inside the far end of your back molar. If you poke your finger in the upward direction – you hit the lateral pterygoid, and on the downward direction, it is the medial pterygoid.
If you have TMJ issues, poking at these 2 muscles can be quite painful, it can also bring some relief after you’ve pressed and released it. (Known as trigger points – as a myotherapist, we are great at locating them)
