TMJ & Dysphonia

April 4, 2017

I’m going to be posting a lot about TMJ in the next few posts, so bear with me. There’s so much hidden need out there, so many people with mild to serious symptoms related to TMJ and awareness that massage can help is only beginning to grow.

Typical presentations for TMJ dysfunction include tension related to clenching or grinding, clicking or popping of the jaw with or without pain, headaches around the forehead and/or temple, toothaches, ear pain/aches, lock jaw, etc. The list goes on, and none of them are pleasant to live with. I’ve recently started treating a client who was referred by an Ear Nose Throat (ENT) doctor for tension related dysphonia. It’s nothing I’ve treated specifically before, but challenge accepted!

One of the wonderful things about treating the musculature of the jaw is that change is effected much more easily than, say, the back. Possibly because the muscles are so much smaller, possibly because they’re unused to being massaged, but whatever the reason, it’s incredibly satisfying for both client and therapist, and is a great indicator of whether or not massage is something that will help (whereas with some other musculoskeletal dysfunctions it can take a few treatments to effect the same level of change and relief).

Because dysphonia (difficulty speaking due to a physical condition of the mouth, tongue or vocal chords) is something new to me, and because it’s a less direct symptom of TMJ, it’s still unclear whether treatments will effect the change necessary to relief or reduce the dysphonia. The treatments are slightly different- focusing more on the anterior/front neck muscles, suprahyoids (muscles under the chin), etc. while including the intra-oral aspect of TMJ related massage and the verdict is still out whether massage is the right course of action for this client, but I’ll keep you posted! And if you have any questions about TMJ work, dysphonia, or anything else massage related, please feel free to get in touch!

Tags: dysphonia, ear ache, ear nose throat, ear pain, ENT, headache, intra oral massage, lock jaw, lockjaw, Massage, muscle tension, musculoskeletal dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, temple headache, tension, TMJ, tootchache

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