There are many issues that can cause a combination of neck and jaw pain, and these issues are far more common than you might think.
One study reports that up to 70% of neck problems may be related to problems with your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). To people who aren’t medical professionals, the TMJ is known as the jaw joint. Physical therapists can help you figure out the specific issue(s) that are causing your pain. In addition, they can help you find effective treatment for your neck and jaw pain.
Common neck and jaw pain causes
The physical therapist you meet with has been trained to treat musculoskeletal disorders, and this includes issues that can cause discomfort in the jaw and neck. Pinpointing the precise cause of your pain will involve your physical therapist doing a comprehensive evaluation on you. A few of the issues that this evaluation could turn up include:
- TMJ dysfunction
- Jaw osteoarthritis
- Pinched nerves
- Damage to TMJ cartilage
- Poor posture
- Neck and jaw muscle sprains
Physical therapy techniques to treat your neck and jaw pain
After evaluating your neck and jaw, a physical therapist’s next step will be to build you a therapy plan to treat your symptoms. This plan will be crafted to suit each individual’s needs. The many therapy techniques at your therapist’s disposal is one factor that makes such customization possible. Some of the therapy techniques your physical therapist could include in your plan are:
- Functional dry needling intended to naturally break down myofascial trigger points in neck and jaw soft tissue.
- Spine stabilization exercises that focus on strengthening neck and jaw muscles and improving your posture.
- Joint mobilization designed to help improve TMJ range of motion and function.
- Therapeutic exercises to stretch out muscles that help move your jaw.
Discover effective neck and jaw pain treatment at Border Therapy Services
Searching for potent treatment for your aching neck and jaw? Our Border Therapy Services team is primed to help you find top-notch care for your pain. We’ll start by doing a free screening on you to determine the cause of your discomfort. Next, our specialists will construct an individualized therapy plan for you designed to reduce your pain and prevent it from coming back.
You’ll even find that our team can help you get physical therapy from home. This is possible thanks to the virtual therapy and at-home care services we offer.
Contact us today for more information about how we can help treat your pain or to schedule an initial appointment.