People say there’s nothing worse than toothache, but those people have never experienced TMJ pain.
The TMJ joint is the smallest and most complex in the body; it can cause intense jaw, neck, and head pain when it goes wrong. From botox injections to a surgical jaw replacement, there are many TMJ treatment options available.
However, natural treatments can preserve your natural jaw, are less expensive, and are less traumatic. Luckily, there are plenty of all-natural ways to get TMJ pain relief.
Read on for a simple guide to treating TMJ the natural way.
Lifestyle Modification
TMJ pain is usually caused by stress factors. If you find yourself having bad posture at your computer screen all day or holding tension in your jaw, it’s likely to be putting strain on your delicate TMJ joint.
So if you’ve got TMJ issues, the very first pain treatment you should try is lifestyle modification. This can be simple and includes the following steps:
- Minimize screen time
- Have good posture when using screens
- Avoid stressful situations when appropriate
- Practice meditation
- Make a conscious effort to relax your jaw
Each of these steps will help your subconscious retrain your jaw to sit in a relaxed position rather than one of tension.
Heat Treatment
The root cause of most TMJ problems is muscle tension. Therefore, any muscle relaxant techniques will help to relieve your symptoms. Some people opt for pharmaceutical muscle relaxants, but heat treatments can be very effective if you want natural pain relief.
Try applying a heat pack to the painful area for 10 minutes at a time, but make sure you don’t burn the sensitive skin on your face. As you feel your muscles begin to loosen, you can start to do some gentle face exercises to help release any residual tension.
You can use heat treatments as little or as often as you like to get the best pain relief results.
Alternative Therapies
Finally, consider complementary or alternative therapies to help reduce your symptoms. Functional medicine is a holistic branch of treatment that considers your symptoms, lifestyle, and genetics.
If you see a functional medicine doctor, they’ll be able to assess your pain in a comprehensive manner. They will try to determine the cause of your TMJ problems and develop an individualized treatment plan to help you recover.
Other alternative therapies that you can try include chiropractic, acupuncture, reflexology, and hypnotherapy. The evidence to support these therapies varies, so the important thing is to find the therapy that works for you.
Get TMJ Pain Relief the Natural Way
If you want to get natural TMJ pain relief, these three techniques can help.
So why not start now? Unclench your jaw and adjust your posture. Next, take some time away from your computer and do a meditative exercise.
Did you find this article helpful? If so, check out our other posts for more health and lifestyle hacks that you didn’t know you needed!
