Jaw pain can be a debilitating condition that affects your ability to eat and speak. Many things can cause jaw pain, from your sinuses and ears to your teeth or jaw itself. If we do believe that it is a problem with the jaw itself and the way it moves then we can help you.

Symptoms

• Pain in the jaw on one or both sides.

• Clicking on one or both sides when opening the mouth

• Inability to open the mouth wide.

• Difficulties chewing

Causes

• Grinding teeth at night

• Clenching due to stress or anxiety

• Displaced disc in the jaw

• Arthritis

• Trauma to the jaw joint, for example during a game of sport

Asessment

• Subjective assessment: We will ask you lots of questions about your jaw, about the rest of your body, any past injuries or surgeries, about what you do each day, your exercise routine and your health in general.

• Objective assessment of the jaw: Assess its motion, palpate the areas and any special tests we may need to do.

• Full body assessment: We will always look at the rest of your body to see if there are any areas that could be contributing to your problem. A common area that is dysfunctional in jaw pain is the neck, shoulder and ribs.

Treatment may include

• Connect therapy approach

• Muscle releases and soft tissue massage to the neck and jaw

• Internal releases to the jaw muscles inside the mouth

• Muscle releases and soft tissue massage to any other part of the body that is contributing to the problem

• Optimise breathing pattern and diaphragm releases if required

• Individualised exercise program including stretching exercises and strength training