Alternative Medicine Treatments To Help With Your TMJ Disorder

When you suffer from a TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder, you may wonder if there are any treatment options that will provide you with relief from your pain and discomfort. While there are conventional medical treatments that you could try, such as anti-inflammatory medications, and even surgery, you may prefer to try alternative treatment methods. Get to know some of the options that alternative medicine can provide for you so that you can give them a try and, hopefully, experience relief from your chronic TMJ pain.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic services and care is one of the alternative medicine treatments that can, surprisingly, provide you with some relief from your chronic TMJ disorder pain. The idea behind chiropractic care is that the skeletal system can sometimes fall out of proper alignment. These shifts in alignment occur most often in the spine, which is the primary focus of chiropractic services, but can occur elsewhere in the body as well.

When the bones are out of alignment (especially those in the spine), the nerves that run throughout the body and along the spine can get blocked or pinched, preventing them from sending signals to and from the brain. These signals trigger the systems of the body to relieve pain and send necessary chemicals and nutrients throughout the body for health and healing.

In the case of your TMJ disorder, the chiropractor will try to help relieve some of the pressure on your nerves in a few ways. The first is by gently, manually manipulating the facial bones and jaw joint. This is in hopes of realigning the jawbone at the joint. If the bones are in alignment, then the nerves can send signals and relieve the inflammation and pain. The second possibility is that they also perform spinal manipulations to free up any impeded nerves along the spine that could also help relieve pain and discomfort in your temperomandibular joint.

Acupuncture

You may also be able to find some TMJ pain and inflammation relief from acupuncture. Acupuncture is a tradition that spans thousands of years and originated in what is now China. This treatment option focuses on energy work. The idea is that energies flow throughout the human body, keeping all of the systems in balance and harmony.

When something disrupts the flow of energy throughout the body, there can be numerous health consequences, including joint inflammation, such as what occurs with TMJ. An acupuncturist will work to identify which energies have been disrupted in the body to cause your TMJ symptoms.

They will then use tiny needles and insert them into energy points throughout your body. This triggers the flow of energy through those body systems to relieve your pain and improve your health. TMJ disorder acupuncture points include points near and around the temperomandibular joint as well as potentially on the ears, legs, and the feet.

Now that you know a few of the treatment options available for your TMJ disorder through alternative medicine, you can give them a try as soon as possible. With any luck, you will feel significant relief from your pain and inflammation using these treatments.