Physical Therapy and Jaw Pain (TMD)

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)

Temporomandibular disorders, TMD for short, is a musculoskeletal disorder that has a high prevalence but often goes overlooked. Women between the ages of fourteen and fifty years old are five times more likely to be diagnosed with TMD than men. Steven L. Kraus, a Physical Therapist that has over forty years experience in treating orofacial pain, states that TMD ranks only second to low back pain in the United States as a prevalent musculoskeletal problem.

Physical Therapy and Jaw Pain

Current research shows that there is an 85% success rate with conservative physical therapy care for non-surgical patients. While medications and oral appliances work well in the short term, research has shown that soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization, dry needling, modalities, postural re-education, and education about contributing habits can be addressed with physical therapy and provide long term relief of symptoms.

Who is Appropriate for Physical Therapy?

Anyone who is complaining of jaw, neck, or face pain, clenching, headaches, and ringing in the ears as well as cervical pain. There is a 92% correlation for those who are suffering from jaw pain, also have dysfunction in their upper cervical spine which is evaluated and treated in physical therapy.

Is Physical Therapy Covered by insurance?

Most treatments are covered by insurance. We accept all major medical insurances including Medicare and Medicaid. We also offer cash options. We bill through your medical insurance and not your dental insurance.

What do I do next?

Kyle Jones is one of our physical therapists who has extensive training in diagnosing and treating TMD and works out of both the Perry Hall and Bel Air offices. If you have any questions regarding treatment or referral of a patient, please call either office and ask to speak to Kyle directly or contact him by email.

Kyle Jones, PT, DPT
KJones@goldmedalpt.com

Manipulations For Pain Relief

Manipulation is a technique we use in Physical Therapy that involves a quick stretch of a region of your body. It is sometimes associated with the feeling of a pop or crack, but not always. Some people can manipulate their own joints by “cracking” their knuckles or back. The biggest difference between a manipulation performed by you and one performed by a Physical Therapist is that a therapist can be very specific with the location of the manipulation. Self-manipulations aren’t very specific, and therefore sometimes can’t achieve the same effect as a manipulation performed by a therapist.

Physical Therapists use manipulation as a way to reduce pain and/or improve range of motion of a part of your body. Manipulation often creates a relatively short term change in the way you feel and move, so we use exercise as a way to try to maintain the improvements you can feel after manipulation. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that manipulation and exercise used together can have a greater impact on the way you feel than just manipulation alone.

A common question people have about manipulation concerns whether or not it is a safe thing to do. Research shows that it is absolutely safe to do, particularly considering the fact that your Physical Therapist will know what questions to ask to determine whether or not you may be a candidate for this type of treatment.

We’ve filmed some videos of our Physical Therapist Chad Blomquist performing various types of manipulations that you may experience during your plan of care in the clinic. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about manipulation specifically or Physical Therapy in general!