So frustrated!!! - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Lori3 · 01-23-2003, 09:41 PM

I've been dealing with on and off again right ear pain for almost a year now and still no one can tell me what's causing it. The only symptom I have is right ear pain that comes and goes. When I have the ear pain I also have a crackling/crunching sound in my ear when I open and close and slight discomfort along my jaw line and sometimes down the side of my neck. My dentist said I don't have TMJ. An orthodontist said, and I quote, 'you don't fit the typical 'mold' of a tmj patient.' Went to an ENT and he said there is nothing wrong with my ear. He did order and MRI of my right jaw and that showed, 'degenerative changes of the meniscus.' Everything else related to the jaw area is normal. The orthodontist did recommend I see an oral surgeon who specializes in diagnosing and treating TMJ. She said he is conservative and the last thing they do is surgery. I by no means want surgery. I can tolerate the ear pain if need be. I just want someone to tell me why I have it and at this point no one seems to know. This is the most frustrating thing I've ever dealt with. Hopefully the oral surgeon can give me some answers. I just don't see how degeneration changes in the meniscus can cause the discomfort I'm having. Especially since I have absolutely NO pain in the jaw area. The orthodontist told me that she's stumped! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

justanotherday · 01-24-2003, 11:03 AM

its obviously tmj i am not even an orthodontist and i could have told you that. It could have been brought on by alot of things without you even realizing you caused trauma to the joint. Ex. the way you sleep, any dental work you have had done, or maybe simply as a result of a bad bite. The sounds you are hearing are probably the meniscus clicking or catching and its proximity to the ear is causing the ear sounds as well. If you've got a normal opening tho i'd say its relatively minor compared to some peoples problems. keep up with the conservative treatment

Cymy Sue · 01-24-2003, 02:07 PM

Hi Lori,
"Just" is most likely right. It's some form of TMJD.
I don't understand the Dr.'s opinion. When the disc (meniscus) are deteriorated, damaged, dislocated or in any way not functioning properly, there is going to be pain. If it's not in the joint, it's called referred pain, and it can cause misery anywhere on your face and/or head.

It has been theorized that my joints were damaged at birth. (forceps) I always had earaches and headaches as a child. By the time I was in my 20's, they think I probably had very little soft tissue left and the only symtoms I had (still) were earaches and headaches. I did not start actually having joint pain until my late 20's. By then they think I only had shreds of cartilage left. "This was a theory", due to the first MRI and Open Joint Surgery that I had in my late 30's. They were removed and replaced in 92, and the replacements were removed in 97. They say my joints are Non-functioning now, because I have no disc.
(I do still have some function)

In short, the joint pain did not get so terrible until the disc were pretty much gone. It's better without them , than living with them displaced or deteriorated.

A lot of people who post here talk about ear symtoms being the first sign of TMJ trouble.

If the deterioration has just started, there is possibly some type of repositional splint that might help.

I think you need to find someone who understands how important the soft tissue is in the TMJ.

Good Luck,
Cymy Sue

plymouth · 01-24-2003, 02:29 PM

According to Travell and Simon, most tmj is from muscular disorders. Pain in the ear is most likely from trigger points in the medial or lateral pterygoid muscles, or the deep portion of the masseter. Trigger points in these muscles usually develop from a forward head posture.

~p

Lori3 · 01-25-2003, 09:20 AM

I see the oral surgeon this Wednesday. His nurse said he can diagnose and treat TMJ. I'm hoping that after a year of suffering someone will be able to tell me why I have this awful ear pain. It hurt so bad last night that all I wanted to do was go to bed and be free of the pain. It doesn't hurt this morning but I'm wondering how long that will last. I hate not having any control over this pain or not being able to find any relief from it. It's starting to make me NUTSO! Thanks for listening!