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Choice Solutions for TMJ

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What is TMJ?:

“TMJ” stands for Temporomandibular Joint, or the jaw joint. You have two TMJs, one in front of each ear, connecting the lower jaw bone (the mandible) to the skull. The joints allow movement up and down, side to side, and forward and back— all the mobility necessary for biting, chewing and swallowing food, for speaking and for making facial expressions.

Temporomandibular joint diseases and disorders, commonly called TMJ, are characterized by pain in the jaw and surrounding tissues and limitations in jaw movements. Injury and conditions that routinely affect other joints in the body, such as arthritis, also affect the temporomandibular joint.

• Nicknamed “the Great Imposter’ TMJ is often mistaken or overlooked as some other disease.
• Treating the symptoms of TM] is only part of the solution.
• Long term success depends on resolving the cause of the problem.
• TMJ problems can be a result of a number of factors: faulty mechanics in the cervical spine and the TMJ, trauma, stress and abnormal muscular/postural habits.

How can First Choice Rehab help me with my TMJ Problem?

Physical therapists are trained in evaluating and treating the mechanical factors that contribute to TMJ trouble.

A therapist who understands TMJ problems can adequately develop a well rounded program to address the patient’s needs.

The Intervention/Outcome:

• Your physical therapist will:
• Clearly understand the causes and treatment for TMJ.
• Modify behavior and faulty postural habits.
• Eliminate the symptoms and instruct you in how to avoid recurrence of pain.
• Evaluate you for postural problems and retrain faulty functioning muscles of the head, neck and shoulders.
• Evaluate the TM] for movement dysfunction.
• Correct the TMJ mechanical dysfunction through soft tissue and joint mobilizations.
• Assess the body’s mechanics and posture to rule out structural causes for injury or pain.
• Help you maintain good TMJ mechanics with proper postural habits and mobility exercises.
• Help you become someone who can eat, talk and function without constant pain.
   

All physical therapy is not the same... let First Choice Rehabilitation Specialists prove it to you!