By: Cynthia McGilvray R.Ac<\/p>\n
Generally speaking, TMJ (Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders) issues\u00a0are a set of conditions that manifest as pain in the jaw joint and surrounding facial\u00a0muscles that can lead to pain when eating, speaking, chewing, laughing and even\u00a0breathing.\u00a0In the Western sense, it is known that TMJ disorders may involve myofascial pain\u00a0(most cases), structural damage such as dislocated jaw or condoyle injury, or\u00a0arthritic changes impacting the TMJ joint.<\/p>\n
When it comes to myofascial pain, this is often found in people who have pain at the\u00a0front of the face where the start of Stomach channel lies. The pain is often caused\u00a0by inflammation or heat in the Stomach channel that is indicated with pain on\u00a0palpation of Stomach 41 at the ankle. The patient will often show other stomach\u00a0signs such as fissures or cracks at the centre of the tongue or they may also\u00a0complain of issues such as ulcers, weakened immune system, anxiety, sensitivity to\u00a0gravitational or barometric shifts such as being in an airplane, weather changes and\u00a0time zone shifts, motion sickness, stomach flu and certain problems with pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Acupuncture treatment here involves regulating the Stomach Qi, often\u00a0strengthening Stomach Yin and clearing any Stomach channel Heat.\u00a0In terms of structural imbalance, Kiiko outlined how at the root of the matter there\u00a0is often a sphenoid bone imbalance causing an improper alignment of the bone. The\u00a0patient may have pain on palpation of the temporal area, inguinal ligament or below\u00a0the navel. They may also have other sphenoid bone imbalance issues such as ear\u00a0problems, headaches, dental problems, or sleep problems such as sleep apnea. A\u00a0sphenoid bone imbalance may affect the pituitary gland that lies in the centre of the\u00a0bone causing hormonal imbalance. Acupuncture treatment here involves\u00a0supporting proper alignment the bone and secondarily rebalancing the pituitary\u00a0gland.<\/p>\n
Finally, issues with the bone itself such as arthritis fall into the category of Kidney\u00a0Essence Deficiency. This pattern is most often seen in older adults or those with a\u00a0constitutional weakness. Symptoms may show up as insomnia, slow wound healing,\u00a0skin rashes such as eczema, insomnia, inguinal ligament pain and temporal\u00a0headaches. Treatment in this case involves supporting proper bone alignment as\u00a0well as strengthening the Kidney Essence.<\/p>\n
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A few self-care tips:<\/p>\n
1. Using moist heat such as a hot water bottle or hot pack is helpful to some.<\/p>\n
2. Soft foods and blending foods in a blender can give the jaw a chance to rest\u00a0and heal.<\/p>\n
3. Relaxation and stress reduction techniques such as guided relaxation such\u00a0as that found at the end of yoga classes and breathing meditations to calm\u00a0the mind.<\/p>\n
4. Sleeping on your side with a pillow between the shoulders and neck.<\/p>\n
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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at cynthiam@junctionhealth.ca<\/p>\n
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References:<\/p>\n
1. Matsumoto, Kiiko. (2014). Kiiko Matsumoto\u2019s Clinical Strategies: In the Spirit\u00a0of Master Nagano, Vol. 1 (6 th ed.). Hanover, MA: J&R Graphics.<\/p>\n
2. (2016). Retrieved June 20, 2016, from\u00a0https:\/\/bconroytc.wikispaces.com\/Facial Pain (e.g. muscular, TMJ) – Kiiko\u00a0Matsumoto Japanese Style<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Cynthia McGilvray R.Ac Generally speaking, TMJ (Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders) issues\u00a0are a set of conditions that manifest as pain in the jaw joint and surrounding facial\u00a0muscles that can lead to pain when eating, speaking, chewing, laughing and even\u00a0breathing.\u00a0In the Western sense, it is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acupuncture"],"yoast_head":"\n