Left jaw

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More than a week ago, while I was washing the rice cooker, there was sudden pain around my left jaw. Since then, I couldn't fully close my mouth to chew my food properly and had to nibble instead. Also, I couldn't open my mouth to the fullest without feeling pain.

After searching the internet, I suspect that I have Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Syndrome. Based on symptoms as stated by Emedicinehealth, I have only 2 out of 7 stated symptoms, which are
  • Pain in the facial muscles and jaw joints may radiate to the neck or shoulders. Joints may be overstretched. You may experience muscle spasms from TMJ syndrome. You may feel pain every time you talk, chew, or yawn. Pain usually appears in the joint itself, in front of the ear, but it may move elsewhere in the skull, face, or jaw and lead to headaches, dizziness, and even migraines.
  • When the joints move, you may hear sounds, such as clicking, grating, and/or popping. Others may also be able to hear the sounds. Clicking and popping are common. This means the disc may be in an abnormal position. Sometimes no treatment is needed if the sounds give you no pain.

From the same website, I've been following this treatment:
  • Apply warm compresses on the area of pain. Home therapy includes mandible (lower jaw) movements, such as opening and closing the jaw from side to side. Try this after a warm compress is applied for 20 minutes. The lower jaw movements should be repeated three to five times a day, five minutes continuously each time, for about two to four weeks. A gentle massage of the area can also be beneficial.
I did feel better after a few days but now the progress seem to have stagnated. The pain is the greatest in the morning when I wake up and gradually feel better throughout the day, presumably due to the treatment and this repeats the next day.

Later, I found an interesting article on The New York Times it also confirmed my suspicion that I have TMJ syndrome. Symptoms, as stated in the article, are as follows:

"But the most common TMJ problem is known as myofacial pain disorder, a neuromuscular problem of the chewing muscles characterized by a dull, aching pain in and around the ear that may radiate to the side or back of the head or down the neck. Someone with this disorder may have tender jaw muscles, hear clicking or popping noises in the jaw, or have difficulty opening or closing the mouth. Simple acts like chewing, talking excessively or yawning can make the symptoms worse."

I hope the above treatment is enough to make it right and soon!

Comments

Anonymous said…
ouch! u poor soul!
then u can't give ur bf a BJ.
January 17, 2013 at 12:23 PM
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