navy2
07-04-2003, 01:45 PM
Hi Dan,
I posted to you on that thread you posted on.
I was very excited about going through the neuro treatment. I have a good feeling about the neuro, but, now that some other joint related things are showing up on the sonography, I'm not sure if this is the right treatment or not. I do need help with the bite and muscles ...but, I'm not sure what to do at this point. The doctor is supposed to call me back. If surgery is warranted, I think i'll just wait until the pain is bad and I'm locking up or something, That may sound foolish, but, why would I have surgery if I'm not in excrutiating pain that meds won't help ..and I can still open and close my jaw? I know I sound off the wall ...but, this will do it to a person. I even was thinking that I wouldn't want to live if the pain got so bad. I do not want to go through surgery after surgery. I cannot believe that I am going through this. All the time i've been reading about TMJ, I always skipped over the crepitus, arthritis part because I thought I was catching it in the clicking stage. Even my PT said that I wasn't prone to arthritis and she wasn't concerned about my tmj's being arthritic. I was always lead to believe that my main problems were muscular and a popping disc. Now to be told there is crepitus, is shocking. I've always taken care of my teeth, went to the dentist every 6 months. Not one dentist ever mentioned sounds, crepitus, anything. I couldn't believe the results of that test.
Navy
I posted to you on that thread you posted on.
I was very excited about going through the neuro treatment. I have a good feeling about the neuro, but, now that some other joint related things are showing up on the sonography, I'm not sure if this is the right treatment or not. I do need help with the bite and muscles ...but, I'm not sure what to do at this point. The doctor is supposed to call me back. If surgery is warranted, I think i'll just wait until the pain is bad and I'm locking up or something, That may sound foolish, but, why would I have surgery if I'm not in excrutiating pain that meds won't help ..and I can still open and close my jaw? I know I sound off the wall ...but, this will do it to a person. I even was thinking that I wouldn't want to live if the pain got so bad. I do not want to go through surgery after surgery. I cannot believe that I am going through this. All the time i've been reading about TMJ, I always skipped over the crepitus, arthritis part because I thought I was catching it in the clicking stage. Even my PT said that I wasn't prone to arthritis and she wasn't concerned about my tmj's being arthritic. I was always lead to believe that my main problems were muscular and a popping disc. Now to be told there is crepitus, is shocking. I've always taken care of my teeth, went to the dentist every 6 months. Not one dentist ever mentioned sounds, crepitus, anything. I couldn't believe the results of that test.
Navy
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amateurdoc
07-04-2003, 02:21 PM
Navy,
If there is degeneration inside the joint, what is degenerating? The disc itself? The tiny ligaments that hold the disc in place? When my wife had the MRI of her cervical spine, she had some slight spurring at C-4,5,6 & 7, which is a frayed look on the bones themselves. Does that happen inside the TMJ? And if so, would that cause crepitus? And pain? The slight spurring in her neck causes her some discomfort, but not the horrendous pain she has in her jaw. If the condyle is pressed back against the bone, would not bringing it forward and off the bone through splint therapy take pressure off the disc and ligaments? My wife has a very small mouth--well, physically--and had 4 wisdom teeth removed and 4 premolars removed when she had braces. Instead of removing those teeth, the ortho should have tried expanding her jaw. They know that now, and my son just went through very successful treatment with braces, has a beautiful smile, and had no teeth removed. If you follow the malocclusion/neuromuscular theory, her muscles tried to accomodate the new bite, and smaller jaw, but finally tipped over the edge, due to age (and associated degeneration) or whatever. I think everyone has some degeneration, and your body either adapts to it or not. If not, it may need help, and in the case of this disorder, splint therapy is the first step in trying to help your body adapt. No doctor will jump into surgery without first trying splint or some other non-invasive form of treatment.
Dan
If there is degeneration inside the joint, what is degenerating? The disc itself? The tiny ligaments that hold the disc in place? When my wife had the MRI of her cervical spine, she had some slight spurring at C-4,5,6 & 7, which is a frayed look on the bones themselves. Does that happen inside the TMJ? And if so, would that cause crepitus? And pain? The slight spurring in her neck causes her some discomfort, but not the horrendous pain she has in her jaw. If the condyle is pressed back against the bone, would not bringing it forward and off the bone through splint therapy take pressure off the disc and ligaments? My wife has a very small mouth--well, physically--and had 4 wisdom teeth removed and 4 premolars removed when she had braces. Instead of removing those teeth, the ortho should have tried expanding her jaw. They know that now, and my son just went through very successful treatment with braces, has a beautiful smile, and had no teeth removed. If you follow the malocclusion/neuromuscular theory, her muscles tried to accomodate the new bite, and smaller jaw, but finally tipped over the edge, due to age (and associated degeneration) or whatever. I think everyone has some degeneration, and your body either adapts to it or not. If not, it may need help, and in the case of this disorder, splint therapy is the first step in trying to help your body adapt. No doctor will jump into surgery without first trying splint or some other non-invasive form of treatment.
Dan