Temporomandibular joint disorder, more commonly known as TMJ, is a painful joint disorder of the jaw. Many things can cause TMJ, from over use of the jaw when grinding your teeth to muscle tension. If you suffer from the pain of TMJ, there are a few therapeutic exercises that may help depending on the nature of your pain.
Opening Exercises
Opening exercises are designed to strengthen jaw muscles and retrain your jaw for proper use. For a simple opening stretch, slowly open and close your jaw 10 times. To try an assisted opening, place your first two fingers on your lower teeth, and gently push down as you open your jaw. For a resisted opening, hold your hand under your jaw, and push up as you slowly open your jaw.
Posture Exercises
Sometimes TMJ is caused by the way you hold your head. By correcting you posture, you can reduce the tension on your jaw and ease your TMJ pain. Chin tucks, which can be done in sets of 10 once per hour, are one simple yet beneficial exercise. Another is the chest stretch, in which you hold your arms out to the sides perpendicular to your body with elbows bent at right angles and fingers pointed straight up. Slowly raise your arms, hold for 15 seconds and then lower your arms. Do two repetitions of this exercise three times daily
Yoga
Many cases of TMJ are caused by stress. Clenching the jaw and tightening muscles puts pressure on nerves and causes pain. Yoga is renowned for forcing the body to relax and the muscles to unclench. Some TMJ patients have said that yoga has helped to alleviate their symptoms. Try to sit cross legged and open your mouth as wide as you can. Then bend your head and tilt your neck to the right shoulder followed by the left shoulder. Do this exercise for two to three minutes.
Tags: hold your, open your, your arms, exercise three, joint disorder, slowly open