Dr. Alex here of Oasis Chiropractic in Cottage Grove. This week we are focusing on how our chiropractic care that we do here in the office can correct and manage jaw problems, sometimes known as TMJ dysfunction. The first thing to note is that jaw problems can effect many other things in the body. A study shows that any kind of TMJ issue can cause drastic changes in the neck leading to even more problems like neck pain and headaches.

However, there is positive research showing the effectiveness of chiropractic on improving function and pain of jaw movements. In fact, the protocol we use here has been shown to get great results so I wanted to explain exactly what we do.

First thing is we feel the side of the joint to locate the problem by having the patient open and close their mouth. Since the TMJ is a small, sensitive joint we use the activator tool to send a quick, gentle force into the joint at a specific angle to allow the joint to move and work properly. This can provide immediate relief and with time and repetition we can make great progress.

If you have questions about TMJ, please contact our office. I included several research articles below for your review.

The results of this prospective case series indicated that the TMD symptoms of these participants improved following a course of treatment using the Activator Methods, International protocol.
J. of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (2003), J.W. DeVocht.
Case study: TMJ dysfunction may cause cervical muscular and
spinal biomechanics changes that may become visible and change on x-ray
examination.
J. of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (1999), G.A. Knutson.
Case study: The results of the study show mandibular opening distance was returned to normal in addition to the abolition of the patient’s TMJ pain and clicking.
J. of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (1995), D. Saghafi.