Temporo Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) A condition whose cause can be difficult or even impossible to determine, TMJ manifests itself in a wide range of symptoms, with the most common being jaw pain. In some cases of TMJ, the pain is so severe it can lead to more serious problems.
TMJ. Even its official name – temporomandibular joint disorder – is painful to say. Joking aside, TMJ is no laughing matter.
A condition whose cause can be difficult or even impossible to determine, TMJ manifests itself in a wide range of symptoms, with the most common being jaw pain. In some cases of TMJ, the pain is so severe it can lead to more serious problems.
Causes of TMJ
Pinpointing a specific cause for TMJ is difficult. While some people who develop TMJ already suffer from jaw conditions, such as traumatic jaw injury or arthritis, others were completely healthy prior to the time their TMJ began. Since the causes of TMJ can be elusive, knowing which course of TMJ treatment is the best can also prove tricky.
Symptoms of TMJ
Broadly speaking, TMJ leads to jaw pain and discomfort, although this is unfortunately just the beginning for many TMJ sufferers, first and foremost because TMJ can occur both in the jaw joint and in the chewing muscles. TMJ pain can also extend outside the mouth to the ears and head, and can present itself even when you aren’t chewing or using you jaw. In fact, some sufferers of TMJ lose sleep over the disorder!