STRESS AND TMJ
If you’re trying to enjoy a holiday meal but your jaw is killing you, you may be suffering from TMJ disorder. Ten million Americans suffer from it, and now experts believe in many cases, it’s simply due to stress.
TMJ stands for temperomandibular joint. TMJ disorders are a major cause of pain in the jaw and muscles around the jaw. And experts are saying now, it’s not a complex problem but rather caused by psychological stress.
“It was so bad that I couldn’t even brush my teeth because of the pain in my temple, which would spread to the back of my head,” says Alicia Guzman. Alicia has had all the classic symptoms. TMJ disorders are characterized by pain in the jaw and in the muscles that cause the jaw to open and close.
“I couldn’t open my mouth. I had to shove food into my mouth because I couldn’t open or bite down. It was terrible, I had to live off soft foods and soups,” says Alicia, describing.
For most people with TMJ disorders, there’s nothing specifically wrong with the joint, no degenerative changes that can be linked to the TMJ disorder symptoms. This fact, along with the fact that TMJ disorders are found to accompany other pain conditions like fibromyalgia, has led experts to look at stress as the root of the problem.
“From a surgical point of view, a very small number of cases fall into the category where I, as a surgeon, can give them a predicable result. The bulk of the patients are treated with conservative therapy including intra-oral appliances, physical therapy, behavior modification and stress relief. Medication given to patients with TMJ disorders is usually sedative medication, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories,” says Dr Bastidas, Alicia’s dental surgeon.
Some experts believe TMJ disorder is related to jaw clenching or tightening.
“The bulk of the patients come in with the dysfunction of muscle pain. There’s nothing specific that will point you to what the exact problem is. Stress does have a lot to do with it,” says Dr. Bastidas.
Many people who clench their jaws do so involuntarily, when they are asleep. If a person clenches for very long periods of time, it could result in physical changes of the jaw joint.
Alicia had surgery because of changes in her jaw. Fortunately she’s now pain free. But looking back, she knows what the root of the problem was.
“I was stressed with school, work and everything else in life. I think stress definitely has a lot to do with do with it,” Alicia says.
TMJ disorder patients are significantly more likely to report negative early life experiences. Research at the University of Kentucky showed up to 70% of TMJ patients reported early neglect or abuse. Of those who seek treatment, 90% are women in their childbearing years, a population known for pain syndromes.