Causes<\/h3>\n
A thorough assessment is needed to determine the cause and nature of each case. Broadly\u00a0speaking, dysfunction is usually caused by a combination of factors relating to the joint itself,\u00a0and\/or the muscles that are involved in moving the joint. The muscular factors involved in TMJ\u00a0dysfunction are often related to certain habits (such as clenching\/grinding the teeth), or posture\u00a0(and the resulting muscle tone of the neck and upper back). For example, the \u201chead-forward\u201d\u00a0posture experienced by many desk workers, can put the head into extension, placing extra load\u00a0on the TMJ. These variables are all considered during an appointment.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/70.39.150.220\/~sagewe6\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/tn_IMG_2878-300x200.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nHow Can Massage Therapy Help?<\/h3>\n
Massage can release habitually shortened muscles, decrease myofascial adhesion, and reduce\u00a0or eliminate trigger points. This helps to decrease pain and restore proper joint mechanics,\u00a0which in turn can prevent long-term effects such as arthritis and adhesion.<\/p>\n
Treatment sessions can include the following:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Neuromuscular massage and fascial techniques to the face, scalp, as well as the upper back,\u00a0pectorals, and neck.<\/li>\n
- Intra-oral massage (with gloves; inside the mouth) to treat the muscles of mastication.*<\/li>\n
- CranioSacral techniques to support joint alignment and encourage fascial release.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
*Treatment is gentle, incremental, and always within your comfort zone. Individuals may prefer\u00a0not to include some\/all of the intra-oral component.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
What you can expect from an appointment<\/p>\n
In addition to these hands-on techniques, clients can expect the following:<\/p>\n
Assessment – of TMJ mechanics and associated postural patterns<\/p>\n
Discussion of treatment plan – includes techniques to be used, anticipated timelines, and how\u00a0treatment will work with other interventions you are taking (such as work with a\u00a0dentist\/orthodontist, physiotherapist, etc.)<\/p>\n
Education and home care exercises – to assist in becoming more aware of – and correcting –\u00a0patterns that are creating imbalance.<\/p>\n
Clear Communication and Ongoing Consent – intra-oral techniques, in particular, can be\u00a0unfamiliar territory. I work with clients to ensure a level of comfort throughout treatment.<\/p>\n
As an aside, it is worth noting the role that massage of the TMJ can play for musicians and\u00a0speakers.\u00a0Singers, brass and wind instrumentalists as well as teachers, broadcasters and other public\u00a0speakers will all know the value of good jaw mechanics. If there is stiffness, pain or joint\u00a0clicking there may be a reduction in air flow, vocal projection, resonance or embouchure\u00a0stamina.<\/p>\n
In this case, individuals can greatly benefit from treatment of the TMJ as well as the digastric\u00a0and hyoid muscle groups (at the front of the neck). Treatment of this region supports ease in the\u00a0movement of the larynx, and decreases tension from chronic use of facial and mandibular\u00a0muscles.<\/p>\n
This was post was written by Katrina Bray<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Book an appointment<\/a> or contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is TMJ Dysfunction? Simply put, TMJ Dysfunction refers to an impairment of the mechanics of the\u00a0temporomandibular joint (jaw). This joint is integral in chewing and speaking; dysfunction in this\u00a0region can be highly disruptive to these basic activities of daily living. TMJ discomfort is widely\u00a0experienced, and it seems as though many individuals normalizing symptoms, not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[8,6,4,9],"tags":[10,14,25],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=863"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2263,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions\/2263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sagewellness.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}