Phase 1 relapse - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

npease · 04-08-2006, 09:48 PM

After many trips over the last year to my Doctor/ENT/Chiropractor I was finally diagnosed with TMJ about 6 months ago even though this is a condition I have probably had in some form for many years. Eight weeks of physical therapy did nothing. So I finally went and saw a TMJ specialist. I went through a whole battery of tests and scans and was fitted for a repositioning splint. I noticed an immediate improvement after wearing this splint and continued improving over an 8 week period. I went in for a checkup 3 weeks ago and was feeling so good I told them I was totally cured they said great keep wearing your splint. Anyways two days later all of my TMJ symptoms came back with a vengeance. I have made no changes in my therapy. I am still wearing my splints 24/7. At this point I am now in as bad or worse shape then when I started.
I was so happy 3 weeks ago. I was all ready thinking about how I was going to write an inspirational message on this board telling all of my success and now here I am hopping somebody on this board can inspire me. I just spent the last 3 days on the couch doing nothing except laying on my back with a hot pad on my face an neck and watch the Masters golf tournament. This provided some relief until I have to get up and do anything.
Has anyone had success and then a relapse while going through phase 1? When I take my splint out my bite feels a lot different then it did before and feels very comfortable when my splint is in. My TMJ doctor says that my jaw has settled into a good position and he thinks all of my problems are coming from my back and wants me to go back to a Chiropractor. I just don’t think I believe this. All of my symptoms were almost totally gone up until 3 weeks ago including my back problems.
Should I get a second opinion (this is getting really expensive). Can a chiropractor help me? Shouldn’t my face and jaw feel better if they are in a good position? This was working what could have gone wrong?

My symptoms:
TMJ / facial pain
TMJ popping gravely noise
Ear congestion and pain
Ear ringing
Neck clicking cracking pain
Should and upper back pain
Headaches
Fatigue

Current treatment:
Repositioning lower splint during the day
Upper bit guard at night
TMJ stretching and exercises from the book taking control of TMJ
Heat pad on neck and jaw
Aleve for pain

Thelma-Louise · 04-08-2006, 10:05 PM

Unfortunately I never had any success with the splints to even know where my jaw belongs anymore but you may want to try a upper cervical chiro or orthoganist. They adjust the upper cervical spine (C1 or atlas) slightly differently than a reg chiro. What I have found is that when the CI is off balance or center, my TMJ symptoms are much more intense. Its funny because my dentist says the TMJ is due to my neck problems and the chiro says my neck problems are due to my dental/TMJ issues. What came first the chicken or the egg?

luvtocamp · 04-09-2006, 06:11 AM

Like Thelma Lousis said look for an upper cervical chiro. My first appoint is Mon. I want to see on a x-ray if anything is mis-aligned and might be causing this problem.It makes sense to me. I just wish I would of investigated this a year ago when my problems started. I feel make sure the neck is straight and then adjust the bite. I feel that adjusting the bite may work for awhile but if the neck is not right it'll change the bite back. The big quest. "What came first" I feel my neck problems came first. After I get the x-ray and if I"m misaligned, I am going to tell my tmj dentist about it and see if he'll work with my bite after my adjustments.
I have all the symptoms you do except for the joint cracking.
going to a chiro makes me nervous as I've never been to one. I just hope nothing he does will make the problem worst, but he assured me treatments are gentle and theres no cracking of my neck and that.

Thelma-Louise · 04-09-2006, 12:27 PM

I have been treated by 3 different dentists now for my problem and am amazed that while all suggested I see a chiro while they tried to adjust my bite only one insisted a specifically see an upper cervical chiro for the same reason that adjusting the bite if the neck is off won't work. I had never been to chiro before any of this and was nervous too. But there is no pain or sound with what they do - in fact you barely feel them touch you. Is he using the manual technique?

npease · 04-09-2006, 07:57 PM

I would have to say my shoulder and neck problems started first and I can see that I developed a forward head posture even back when I was in High School. I have been to chiroprators even before I found out I had TMJD but they never really helped. The more I learned about TMJD I was convinced that my neck problems were becuase of my TMJD condition. I also felt reafirmed with this idea as my neck symptoms had almost completely vanished since I started the splint therapy. The card for the chiro they want me to see says TMJ and Craniofacial specialist.