The first week of my new lifestyle change has not gone as well as I had hoped. I have been having an immense amount of jaw pain for the past week, maybe week and a half. Last week I started grinding my teeth in my sleep, which is something I had not done since I was a child! I felt like I used to feel when I would get my braces tightened, years ago. Every single tooth felt like it was mildly loose, and my jaw was a bit sore. Originally I thought it was the effects of having eaten more nuts and pretzels than I usually do in my every day life, but after speaking with a dental hygienist I was informed that it sounded like I was grinding my teeth.
After a couple of days, my teeth stopped hurting, but my jaw was still in pain. I tried putting wet towels in the microwave and holding them against my jaw, which actually felt amazing...it's just not something one can do all throughout their day since microwaves aren't portable. On my way home from one of my jobs the other day (yes, I'm a workaholic), I couldn't take the pain and stopped by my other job on the way home, which happens to be a health and wellness establishment, specializing in therapeutic massages.
The 30-minute focus massage on my face was very painful. There are a couple of different ways you can do a TMJ massage, or get it done on you, in my case. TMJ occurs as a result of problems with the jaw, jaw joint and/or surrounding facial muscles, which I have not been professionally diagnosed with, but dangit that seems like what I've got going on! The massage therapist I had that day only did one form of TMJ massage, where he massaged the muscles in my cheeks, chin, jaw line, and neck. The other way to do TMJ massage involves the massage therapist putting on gloves and massaging inside of your mouth. Both types are painful, but can be effective.
The pain has been so bad that I haven't had the will to do anything, let alone exercise. Hopefully next week I'll have less TMJ pain and discomfort, or at least get used to the pain so I can carry on without the limitations it causes. I know in my case it probably has to deal with my anxiety and stress levels as oftentimes I do not even realize that I'm stressed or having symptoms of anxiety until I get a full blown panic attack. I've been wanting to start going to therapy to see if we can curb some of it or at least get me to the point where I know I'm stressing out, because it's almost always over little things that I don't think are going to make a big impact.
Along with stress and anxiety that can cause TMD flare ups, also, eating hard, crunchy foods and more! It has been over 15 years since I was last in a dentists office, so I will be making an appointment very soon to go to a dentist and see if we can figure this out, whether I have TMD or TMJ, or not! I will definitely keep you updated on this once I get my dental insurance together and schedule my appointment!
After a couple of days, my teeth stopped hurting, but my jaw was still in pain. I tried putting wet towels in the microwave and holding them against my jaw, which actually felt amazing...it's just not something one can do all throughout their day since microwaves aren't portable. On my way home from one of my jobs the other day (yes, I'm a workaholic), I couldn't take the pain and stopped by my other job on the way home, which happens to be a health and wellness establishment, specializing in therapeutic massages.
The 30-minute focus massage on my face was very painful. There are a couple of different ways you can do a TMJ massage, or get it done on you, in my case. TMJ occurs as a result of problems with the jaw, jaw joint and/or surrounding facial muscles, which I have not been professionally diagnosed with, but dangit that seems like what I've got going on! The massage therapist I had that day only did one form of TMJ massage, where he massaged the muscles in my cheeks, chin, jaw line, and neck. The other way to do TMJ massage involves the massage therapist putting on gloves and massaging inside of your mouth. Both types are painful, but can be effective.
The pain has been so bad that I haven't had the will to do anything, let alone exercise. Hopefully next week I'll have less TMJ pain and discomfort, or at least get used to the pain so I can carry on without the limitations it causes. I know in my case it probably has to deal with my anxiety and stress levels as oftentimes I do not even realize that I'm stressed or having symptoms of anxiety until I get a full blown panic attack. I've been wanting to start going to therapy to see if we can curb some of it or at least get me to the point where I know I'm stressing out, because it's almost always over little things that I don't think are going to make a big impact.
Along with stress and anxiety that can cause TMD flare ups, also, eating hard, crunchy foods and more! It has been over 15 years since I was last in a dentists office, so I will be making an appointment very soon to go to a dentist and see if we can figure this out, whether I have TMD or TMJ, or not! I will definitely keep you updated on this once I get my dental insurance together and schedule my appointment!
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