TMJD for about a year - starting to get ugly. - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Maximos · 01-19-2009, 03:34 PM

Hello to all!

I am 16 - I guess I was unfortunate enough to be graced with this condition this early, for some reason beyond me.

Last January, I woke up from a nap one time not being able to open my mouth - my jaw was completely locked. I was able to loosen it with ice and such, and thought nothing of it. Fast forward to Valentine's day, my birthday. I wake up and it is also completely locked. I schedule an appt at the dentist, go in, and get a custom mouth guard done for usage at night. It doesn't get better - in fact, fast forward to around July, and the condition that I thought was a minor nuisance grew to encompass all of the following:

+ Back pain (sometimes feels like a herniated disk in my upper back, sometimes just a very deep pain in my lower back when I lay down)

+ Neck pain, when I move it around, it 'thuds' at the base

+ Popping shoulders when I lay down and move my arms

+ My wrists are painful and crack a lot

+ I seem to have "jagged muscle movements" - in my back, arms, etc.

+ I have a problem with my right leg - at the knee and at the ankle - pain, 'roughness'

+ Odd diaphragm 'sliding' randomly with deep breaths

+ My jaw basically slides around uselessly in my mouth on the right side, cracks on the left side - when I open my mouth and close it, the right side 'hangs' on the way down

I promptly stopped using the guard when my neck and shoulders began getting worse. Had I not went to the dentist, I don't think I would be complaining of all of these things to you today... a big mistake indeed.

My hands tremble a lot. I have noticed some tinnitus developing in my ears.

Starting for two months in the beginning of the summer, I started eating better and lifting weights, running, playing sports, and such - I lost a very healthy 10 pounds that I am unable to regain. I would have continued if my symptoms had not begun to get worse...

I've been to an orthopedic and my family doctor. Both say nothing is wrong with me and everything is just "A OK". If only they felt what I feel!

I just don't know what to do. As we approach Valentine's Day again, it will mark one year since waking up with my jaws glued together. I shudder at the thought of what condition I will be in this time next year if I don't do something SOON. I have considered a NMD, but am afraid of the costs (my insurance won't cover it) and would be, quite frankly, mad if it doesn't help. Don't tell me a chiropractor would help either - I have read that they make things worse, just as what happened with the dentist and his nightmare mouth guard. I also don't want to hear of 'therapeutic help' - I believe my condition has gone much farther than can be helped by a passive approach.

Please help me...

[Please do not use cuss/slang words. Saying "mad if it doesn't help" is better. Thanks - Well-come Moderator.]

Thelma-Louise · 01-19-2009, 06:42 PM

Have you had any tests which support your drs and orthopedists diagnosis that nothing is wrong? If not, you may need to get some tests done to deteremine if there is a physiological abnormality causing this ( displaced or bulging cervical or spinal disc, piched nerve, issue with the tm joints or condyle, etc) or if its muscular. Request either an MRI, CT scan, tomogram, or ICAT of the mandible and maxilla in the open and closed postions and an MRI of the c-spine (neck) and spine. For good measure I had a brain MRI done to check for neuromusuclar diseases or conditons as well. The results of your tests may help point you in the right direction in terms of what type of dr and treatment may be right for you.

Maximos · 01-19-2009, 06:56 PM

Yes, I had an MRI and x-rays done of my shoulders and neck, they looked fine, but certainly don't feel fine...

I will go to the oral surgeon soon and get his opinion.

StillHope · 01-20-2009, 06:18 AM

I completely agree with TL that for the start you need to know the state of your TMJ. An MRI and/or CAT Scan would tell a lot.
It does seem like there might be a problem with your disk, probably on one side. Did you ever wear braces? Did you have any back teeth crowned or extracted? I know you are young but some dentists do those things nevertheless.

All your symptoms can be well explained by a problem with TMJ or with your bite. Let us know when you get the tests done. Do not do anything irreversible on your teeth since things can easily get worse. Be skeptical as you are, it's very good, and be very careful with doctors and dentists. They like to do what they know how to do not always when this is really needed.
Meanwhile try to have your body relaxed and keep a good posture!

Maximos · 01-20-2009, 01:13 PM

I may be getting an x-ray done on my TMJ Feb 10th. I will certainly let you know the results.

In the meantime, do most TMJ problems involve all of these symptoms? Are these symptoms even common... (the popping shoulders, trembling, rough muscle movements, etc)?