Self diagnosed tmj - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

pstuart · 04-25-2008, 06:40 PM

I would really appreciate any feedback. I've been suffering for a year now and will go to a chiro in a few weeks. These are my symtoms:
Jaw and cheek pain; sometimes ear pain
When I put my fingers in my ear, I hear a crunch - crepitus
jaw pops out on right side when I yawn
Jaw deviates to "healthy" side on opening and closing
Loud, hard crepitus in right ear
The pain moves arouns - some days not bad, some are really painful
pain goes from back of ear down under jaw
Anterior neck muscle pain
When i move my jaw laterally it cracks
It feels like a big muscular component
ODDLY, no pain when I sleep..... is there anything besides tmj that this can be? Thanks so much....

Thelma-Louise · 04-25-2008, 09:47 PM

It could be cervical related since the jaw and neck share the same muscles and depend on each other for alignment so seeing a chiro is a good idea. But the fact that your jaw is popping would seem to indicate a displacement of your disc so seeing a tmj dentist for evaluation would be a good idea as well.

Rawspice · 04-26-2008, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelma-Louise

But the fact that your jaw is popping would seem to indicate a displacement of your disc .

Really?? I also hear a really loud crack everytime I move my jaw to the left or push my lower jaw slightly forward. Sometimes it just cracks without hardly moving it at all. Also when opening and closing I hear a little popping or different type sounds. Yet everytime I've had an X-ray they told me that my discs were in place...they said my tmj was a muscle problem. I've never had an MRI.

Also I did think that maybe my tmj could be secondary to a cervical problem...but they dismissed it. I don't know why they dismiss it because I constantly have neck and shoulder pain.

I've not had any tests on my neck, they didn't look at my neck or shoulders. I have a slight bulge from the middle of my neck going up to behind my ear, I notice it when I compare it to the good side of my neck. Also one of my shoulder blades is clearly more prominent than the other, and one shoulder looks higher than the other. Maybe I should see a chiro...I've never seen one before. Could my shoulder be causing neck pain? Or maybe it's just tmj causing my neck and shoulder pain.

Thelma-Louise · 04-26-2008, 12:17 PM

Your discs are probably in place at rest but when you open and close they displace and then recapture which accounts for the noise only when moving your jaw. A good or knoweldgeable tmj dr would use a stethesis scope in examining a patient to confirm audible noises when opening and closing and not just rely on films.

The slight bulge in your neck could indicate that the atlas and axis are slightly off center or a disc in your spine may be slightly herniated - I had bulging on C5, 6, and 7. An MRI of the spine/c-spine could confirm if this may be part of the problem. I am pretty sure my disc bulging started shortly after my tmj since I never really had any back or neck problems before then - but its hard to prove or disprove what started first. Seeing a chiro is a good idea - the higher shoulder and increased prominence of one shoulder would probably also indicate a cervical problem - but try and find one that specializes in c-spine, or tmj problems. My current chiro is a kinesiologist and specializes in cranial disorders. Many drs do feel if you correct the tmj all other resulting symptoms and conditions will resolve themselves over time but correcting the actual tmj problem can take quite some time for some - so I have found that while undergoing tmj treatment seeing a chiro can help ease the other symptoms in the meantime and may actually help with the tmj treatment by providing correct spinal alignment during that period as well. Many tmj dsr work with chiros during treatment and often refer their patients to one should they see that splint therapy alone is not working.

Also - a lot of people have disc displacing or occasional popping and cracking which does not cause other problems (other than been annoying) and therefore they do not seek treatment for it - which is OK - its when it does start to casue other problems or intereferes in daily life that one may need to have it treated.

Rawspice · 04-29-2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelma-Louise

Your discs are probably in place at rest but when you open and close they displace and then recapture which accounts for the noise only when moving your jaw.

I am pretty sure my disc bulging started shortly after my tmj since I never really had any back or neck problems before then - but its hard to prove or disprove what started first. Seeing a chiro is a good idea - the higher shoulder and increased prominence of one shoulder would probably also indicate a cervical problem - but try and find one that specializes in c-spine, or tmj problems. My current chiro is a kinesiologist and specializes in cranial disorders. Many drs do feel if you correct the tmj all other resulting symptoms and conditions will resolve themselves over time but correcting the actual tmj problem can take quite some time for some

Also - a lot of people have disc displacing or occasional popping and cracking which does not cause other problems (other than been annoying) and therefore they do not seek treatment for it - which is OK - its when it does start to casue other problems or intereferes in daily life that one may need to have it treated.

Good point. Thanks Thelma, you have always been really helpful on here. More helpful than any doctor or specalist I've seen that's for sure!

Same here, I never had any neck and shoudler problems until I got tmj. I also have a bulge near my left shoulder blade and it always aches. I always feel cold as well. Can the c-spine cause tmj symptoms or is it just the other way round...that tmj can cause c-spine problems? Yeah I read that tmj can cause feature imbalance. I get some low back pain now and I never used to. Also I have an constant ache on my upper left leg, it kinds feels like I've got one leg shorter than the other. All my symptoms are down one side of my body really.

The tmj specalist told me not to worry about the cracking sounds because I only get them when I move my jaw to the side, or slighlty forward. He said you only have to worry about your jaw when you get sounds with opening and closing, he thinks the sounds I get with opening and closing are not bad. But I think the loud cracking sounds are why I have jaw pain, even if it's not with opening and closing...is that possible? You can hear the loud cracking sounds from the other side of the room. The sounds I get with opening and closing are nowhere near as loud, just slight popping and I can hear sort of grinding sounds in my head.