By Roberta Field

The jaw joint is also known as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). By placing a finger on the side of the face, in front of the ear, the joint can be felt moving as the mouth is opened and closed. The joints of both sides of the face move in unison.

The jaw joint may become painful or stiff as a result of trauma from sport, such as a blow to the chin from a squash racquet or hitting the point of the chin on the ground.

Hyperextension of the neck that may occur with a vigorous rugby tackle or with a whiplash injury during a car accident may also cause trauma to the jaw joint. Dental procedures can be another source of injury to the TMJ.

Sometimes the onset of problems will be more gradual, related to a build up of muscle tension and stress.
Clenching and grinding of the teeth can result in TMJ pain and dysfunction.

Jaw problems may present as:

Often the pain will be aggravated by movements such as chewing, wide opening of the mouth, yawning and laughing.

Problems of the jaw joint are usually dealt with by a team of health professionals, including physiotherapists and dentists. After taking a history, your physiotherapist would then physically assess the movement and function of the jaw joint, neck and upper body as the function of these body areas is so inter-related.

Sometimes pain in the face and jaw may be referred from the neck, so treatment of this area would be necessary to relieve the pain.

A treatment program is started when the major problems have been identified.
Good posture is always going to be emphasised in treatment.

To minimise stress and allow good function of the jaw joint, the upper body posture, particularly the position of the head and neck, is very important.

Massaging tight muscles and moving joints may also be used by the physiotherapist to correct abnormalities.

Exercises may be given to help correct muscle imbalances.

Roberta Field is a physiotherapist at the 2nd Health Support Battalion.