Hey All,
I'm usually on the TMJ forum but I've got a couple of questions. I have osteoarthritis in the jaw joints and have extreme pain daily from it. I'm a 25 year old male in otherwise good health. The disc is now punctured on both sides and I have some bone-on-bone action going on. I know that for every other joint in the body there's tons of publications and standards for treatment but not the jaw! Figures huh? Anywho, I've heard that in places like the knee and shoulder etc you can get a synvical (sp?) fluid injection to mimic the lubricant that's naturally in your joint. Does the same apply to the jaw? The joint itself hurts and feels inflammed, I saw my GP today about a cortisone shot to stop the inflammation (or manage it) and he said he's never done it and wouldn't feel comfortable doing so. I've seen sooo amny "specialist" for TMJ dysfunction and talk about having to do your own legwork, man! Should I start taking the OA approach and treat it like any other joint instead of focusing on the Jaw? Any help would be so much help to me. What do you guys do for your joints? I've done the physical therapy, heat, ice, beta-blockers, NSAIDs, several anti-inflammatory meds, narcotics and numerous MRI's and x-rays etc. Again I welcome all feedback, take care guys and hope you all find relief soon :)

Eric

Hi Eric: I have TMJ and OA in my jaw joint also. I'm still taking Bextra, even though I suspect it will be taken off the market soon. When my jaw aches, I put heat on it. That always helps. There's a product called ********* that I've used before. I just massage it into my jaw joint. It heats up. There's an odor at first, but then it dissapates. I'm sorry you're suffering. I used to have terrible daily headaches, but I'm now in braces and doing very well. I wish you the best. Sue