Our Solution: Physiotherapy

The most common signs and symptoms of TMD are:

• Localised pain near the jaw that is aggravated by chewing, speaking, and yawning.

• Clicking, grinding, or popping

• Locking of the jaw

To make things complicated, TMD is often associated with neck pain, headaches, earaches, or tinnitus.

Our in-house physiotherapist has had extensive experience in the treatment of TMD and will be able to evaluate the best course of treatment dependent on the cause and contributing factors of your symptoms.

Treatment of TMD varies from person to person therefore, it is necessary to individualise each treatment plan. Modalities of treatment include but aren’t limited to:

• Joint mobilisation of the TMJ and cervical spine

• Myofascial release of surrounding muscles

• Dry needling

• Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)

• Postural awareness

• Strengthening exercises

• Advice and education regarding healthy chewing habits, parafunctional behaviors (resting your chin on your jaw, grinding), and tongue position.

What is Dry Needling? 

Dry needling involves the insertion of a very small and thin needle into the muscle to restore function and improve pain. Often, myofascial trigger points are targeted to elicit a ‘twitch’ response (quick stretch of shortened muscle fibres) and results in an overall relaxation of the muscle and increased blood flow locally. In addition to the local response of the needle, there are further systemic effects including the release of serotonin and substance P which ultimately aim to inhibit pain.

After dry needling it is normal to feel sore in particularly those muscle groups that have been treated. The tenderness or bruised feeling may last anywhere between 24-48 hours post-therapy. In many cases we see improvement in mobility and mouth opening immediately with a decrease in pain within 24 hours.  

Numerous systematic reviews support the effectiveness of dry needling in treating many musculoskeletal conditions including but not limited to:

• Headaches and migraines

• Neck and back pain

• Chronic conditions including fibromyalgia

• Tendinopathies (rotator cuff, achilles, gluteal)

• Knee pain

• TMD

Feel free to contact on of our friendly staff on (07) 3397 0610 to book an appointment with our TMJ physio to assess if dry needling may help you.