Tight TMJ muscles?!
Question: Me again. For the past two days I have woken up with really tight jaw muscles around my left TM joint. My mouth only opens wide enough to fit, say, a breath mint. It won't go away if I keep fussing over it, but it's hard not to! Is there a way to make the muscle not be so tight in the morning?
And what causes it?
Answers: Me again. For the past two days I have woken up with really tight jaw muscles around my left TM joint. My mouth only opens wide enough to fit, say, a breath mint. It won't go away if I keep fussing over it, but it's hard not to! Is there a way to make the muscle not be so tight in the morning?
And what causes it?
It can be caused by grinding your teeth at night - that is what aggravates my TMJ. You may need a bite guard if you grind your teeth badly enough. Seeing a chiropractor for jaw and neck adjustments has helped me tremendously! You should try it.
You probably grit your teeth in your sleep. Massage will help loosen the muscles but you have to get to the cause of the teeth gritting and grinding. Very bad for the teeth as well.
I don't know the cause but I do know when mine is acting up my massage therapist concentrates on my shoulder blades and upper neck.
You can seek a massage therapist for it but you can also do some of the work for yourself to see if it relieves any pain. Look up the Masseter muscle. This is your chewing muscle of the mouth....one of the strongest muscles in the body for its size....so if you grind your teeth or clench your jaw a lot in your sleep....this muscle is just being over contracted and could use a little massaging or a little friction therapy on the attachments of the muscle to help in the release of it!
Wow! The best exercise to force your jaw to relax is this: Stick out your tongue and slowly pant, concentrate on breathing. Do it 3 times (pant like a dog), then relax and close your mouth. Repeat until you can get your muscles to loosen. Tensing up causes this to worsen... you need to relax and find a way to release your frustrations. Go for a long walk if you can. Do something to take your mind off these things that bother you. I had braces and learned this exercise because I still have to force myself to relax.
hey, you could have arthritis. i have it, and it causes problems in my jaw all the time.