“Can Chiropractic Help With TMJ?”
Your TMJ (aka the temporomandibular joint, aka your “jaw”) can be treated with chiropractic care. It’s not a common reason why someone goes to see a chiropractor, but it can be evaluated.
Patients experiencing TMJ issues don’t always have jaw pain. They can have headaches as well. So if someone comes in to our office for headache issues, we don’t just look at their head. Their head, neck, and jaw are evaluated, looking for any joint that is not functioning normally.
If a joint needs to be adjusted, we can do that. Then we’ll get to work on the surrounding muscles, making sure that they are relaxed and not going to pull everything back out of place again.
The jaw can be adjusted using our hands, or using a device called an Activator. Typically, we’ll use our hands. Does your jaw need to be adjusted? Only an exam will tell us for sure. However, if you’ve been hit on your jaw at some point, it’s likely out of alignment.
Just as a quick check, hold your fingers on either side of where your jaw connects to your skull. (This can be found right in front of your ears.) Hold it gently and slowly open and close your mouth. Did one side move later than the other? Can you feel it “pop” each time it opens? Does it hurt to open?
These are all likely indicators that your TMJ needs to be checked.