5 Ways to Find Relief for Your TMJ Headaches

Everyone suffers from headaches, at some point in their life. They are common, annoying, and disrupt your life but did you know that your TMJ disorder could be causing your headaches? Let’s discuss the difference between a regular headache and TMJ headache pain and how you can get TMJ headache relief. We welcome you to our Nonsurgical TMJ Austin office we offer TMJ headache treatment, come in for a consultation with our amazing team we offer TMJ treatment in Austin.


The temporomandibular joint, also known as TMJ, affects the jaw joint and is frequently accompanied by a number of symptoms, including headaches. Actually, among the most prevalent signs of TMJ is headaches. These headaches can be minor to severe, and they sometimes come with accompanying symptoms including jaw pain and headache, discomfort, earaches, and trouble opening and closing the mouth. We will go over the symptoms of TMJ headaches and how you can get TMJ migraine relief in this blog post.


The TMJ, also known as the temporomandibular joint, is the joint that joins the jawbone to the skull. Talking, chewing, and yawning are all made possible by the mobility of this joint, which controls the jaw. TMJ issue is a problem that can result from damage or misalignment to this joint. TMJ problems can be brought on by a number of conditions, such as arthritis, injuries to the jaw or skull, and even grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw.


It is common to mistake tension or migraine headaches for jaw headaches. In fact, according to one study, 31% of the participants' TMJ headaches were incorrectly classified as tension headaches.


Why Is It So Easy to Mix the Two Up? as a Result of the Muscles That Link Your Head and Jaw Joint.

One of the key muscles that move your jaw is a big muscle with a fan-like form that runs along both sides of your head. There are more temporomandibular joint-related muscles in your cheeks.


These muscles may develop tightness, injury, or stiffness as a result of problems with your jaw joints, which puts a lot of pressure on your head and results in TMJ pain headache.


TMJ and Headaches: Differences

You may tell if your headache is a jaw-related headache rather than a real headache by a few indicators.

For starters, unlike migraine headaches, jaw headaches won't cause nausea or heightened sensitivity to light, sound, or smell.


When You Have a True Headache, You Don't Experience the Following TMJ-Specific Symptoms:


  • There is no pain associated with opening your mouth.
  • Difficulty chewing
  • Chewing is painful locked jaw aches (difficult or impossible to open or close your mouth)
  • Uncomfortable temporomandibular joint or jaw


Jaw pain and headaches are among the most prevalent signs of TMJ disorder. The inflammation and stress in the muscles surrounding the jaw joint may be the source of these headaches. They may also be brought on by the strain that an unaligned jaw puts on the jaw joint. The back of the head, the temples, the area surrounding the eyes, or other areas of the head may be affected by headaches. Other symptoms including jaw pain, earaches, and trouble opening and closing the mouth can also be present.


A medical practitioner, such as a dentist or oral surgeon, can identify TMJ headaches. The jaw will normally be physically examined, MRI or X-rays may also be used in diagnostic imaging to evaluate the health of the jaw joint.


TMJ headaches can be treated in a number of ways. The precise cause and seriousness of the problem will determine the therapy strategy. Typical forms of treatment include:


Massage Your Jaw

When you suffer from TMJ headache pain just massaging your jaw will increase blood flow to that region of your face.

You can relieve some of the discomforts and reduce your risk of developing a swollen jaw by massaging your jaw. The best way to massage your jaw is as follows: Rub the mandibular joint lightly in a circular motion using three fingers. Continue doing this until you get some relief.


Reduce Tension

Stress and worry are two of the key factors that contribute to headaches. TMJ headaches are a common occurrence. You may be wondering how stress and anxiety could cause TMJ headaches. Stress can make the symptoms of TMJ headache worse. When you're stressed, you clench your jaw. TMJ jaw headaches could be brought on by prolonged jaw rigidity. The best treatment for this is to stay away from stressful situations, conflicts, and confrontations. Take some time out after a challenging day at work to relax by doing yoga or taking a hot bath.


Use Over-The-Counter Medicines

If the discomfort becomes excessive, try taking over-the-counter drugs to relieve it, like ibuprofen as a mild TMJ headache treatment. These medications might harm your organs if you use them too frequently, so it's not a good idea to rely on them for everyday pain relief.


Change Your Lifestyle to Be Healthier

Pain is a way that our bodies naturally communicate with us. It's important to evaluate your lifestyle and decide what changes you should make when TMJ headaches start to emerge. Avoid gum and foods like carrots that require a stressful, repetitive jaw movement, such as gum. Include some soft foods in your diet to help your jaw relax, such as mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, such as beans. Straighten your spine; pain can be greatly reduced by excellent posture. Yoga and meditation on a regular basis can also help with TMJ headaches by allowing the body to naturally relax and realign.


Jaw Exercises to Reduce TMJ Pain

Using this simple relaxation technique can help you get TMJ migraine relief: Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth first, behind your front teeth. Allow your jaw muscles to loosen up after that and let your tongue and tee of time. Your TMJ issues may also be alleviated by other exercises, such as the goldfish exercises, chin tucks, and side-to-side jaw movement exercises.


TMJ headaches can be treated in a variety of ways, despite the fact that they are painful. If you think you could have TMJ headaches, talk to our doctor at the Nonsurgical TMJ Austin about your TMJ pain headache symptoms and any treatments you've already tried, even if they didn't work. If your TMJ is to blame, root-cause therapies can ease headache suffering and provide you with the knowledge you need to prevent headaches in the future. Don’t delay come in and see us you can get TMJ headache relief.

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