Forty five million Americans suffer from chronic headaches, and about a third of headache sufferers have temporal mandibular dysfunction. Temporal mandibular dysfunction, commonly known as “TMJ” disorder is an injury to the muscles and ligaments controlling the jaw joint. If left untreated, the condition can lead to loss of cartilage and chronic displacement of the joint (similar to a dislocated shoulder).
A displaced or subluxed jaw joint can press on nerves, causing chronic pain in the head, face, neck, shoulder, arms, etc. TMJ Dysfunction is an under-diagnosed cause of migraine headaches, neck and shoulder pain, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), vertigo and other distressing conditions.
Anyone who has experienced whiplash injury, head trauma, or extensive dental work/orthodontics who continues to suffer from headaches or neck pain should be screened for TMJ dysfunction. Likewise, people who habitually clench or grind their teeth are at a higher risk for developing this condition.
My personal experience of suffering from whiplash and severe TMJ dysfunction led me to try acupuncture for the first time twenty five years ago. I have spent countless hours learning about the diagnosis and treatment of this condition and I have developed highly effective strategies for alleviating TMJ related pain, as well as migraines, cluster headaches, trigeminal neuralgia and other head/facial pain syndromes.
As someone who has personally experienced the misery of severe head/neck/facial pain, I am passionate about helping others who suffer from this condition.