Muscle Relaxers for TMJ Pain

[inzTwoToneTunes]

Can you guys give me some info on good muscle relaxers? Leaded and unleaded. (natural and drug)

I have TMJ pretty bad. My wife says I clench my teeth very hard at night. I wake up with my face muscles tingling and achey. Now my neck, & shoulders are hurting. Please if anyone has soom info let me know.

I have a night guard but does not stop the clenching. Jaw doc says my disk is out of place and muscles are extremely tense. His advice? Relax and stop clenching my teeth.

Thanks DD

 

[beensuggested]

DD
First of all you need to do some homework. You need to periodically see if during the day you are also clenching, if so you need to gently open your mouth to stretch the muscles and try to break that habit during the day. You should also check into seeing a chiropractor who does soft tissue work or a PT who is knowledgeable about TMJ soft tissue work and have that done. That is a better long term fix than meds.

Can you take the OTC stuff? Advil, alleve etc.? If so that is your best place to start and make sure you take it with a full glass of water to buffer your stomach. Harder stuff would be flexeril or skelaxin. They are supposed to relax your muscles sometimes they just make you so drowsy that you still hurt you just don't care that you hurt. Relafin and naprosyn are other anti inflams that also work. There is as far as homeopathic - arnica that works well and there is a product called traumeel that seems to work for some people but the main ingredient in anything "natural" should be arnica as that is an anti-inflam as well.

You really need the soft tissue work done though, that will give you the best "cure" to your issue.
Kit

 

[bluestarman]

My dentist also claims to have had TMJ training, and they are using an electronic muscle stimulation device to "retrain" jaw muscles, or loosen them up. This unit is similar to units used in physical therapy for the same purpose. Sorry, don't have any more data than that.

-Dave

 

[inzTwoToneTunes]

Kit- Thanks for the response. Yes I clench during the day. I am trying to catch it and stop. I will try the exercises. I also press my tongue against the roof of my mouth and twist it, at night and thru the day. Yes I am a spaz. I do see a chiro. What do you mean by soft tissue? I think he does manipulation technique. The gun that drums on the spine and neck. He has been trying on my jaw but no succes. My jaw cracks real loud every time I open it and it will lock. I am supposed to take 1000mg of advil daily but with my gerd it sometimes is an issue. I will look into the PT thanks for the great advice.

dtm- Thank you. I will ask my jaw doc about this. I have wondered if there is physical type therapy.

my neck is really hurting. Also lots of headaches.

DD

 

[StacyDance]

Listen to Kit -

My dad is a massage therapist and he is doing Myofacial Release on my neck and shoulder area and it has helped a lot with the pain. We tend to carry all of our stress in those areas and it's amazing how bad we can knot up. The same goes for other areas of the body. Two weeks ago my neuro felt the trigger points in my neck so I know there's a problem. I sit at a desk all day.

I also have trouble with an aching and clicking jaw and I find that my jaw is clenched frequently. I also try to concentrate on keeping my tongue at the roof of my mouth or somewhat in between my teeth to remind me not to clench my jaw. It has helped, but it takes practice.

Stacy

 

[bluestarman]

Also, may I suggest getting the book by Devin Starlanyl on myofascial pain. This is considered by many, including MDs, to be a definitive work on the problem of myofascial pain and release. Starlanyl has problems with Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain, so the book is written by a suffer. While the author is not an MD, the book was written in conjunction with one. There are some self-help techniques in it as well.

-Dave