All over the world, including, of course, the American states, there exists a large number of people who suffer from problems in their temporomandibular joints of the jaw. Greater researches into these problems have made the symptoms of this problem more recognizable by doctors as well. The most common symptoms of TMJ disorders make an appearance as inflammations at and near the jaw joint area, migraine-related headaches, improper biting techniques, a laborious chewing process, none of which can be got rid off easily. The physicians can now even point out certain TMJ symptoms, which, till a few years back, were not known to be related to TMJ at all. In order to get a feel of the real-life problems that these unusual symptoms of TMJ posed to patients, a few case studies have also been described here.

The bony temporomandibular joint is situated, as can be seen from anatomical diagrams, at not much of a distance several important organs at and around the skull. An example of this would be the middle section of the ear, which is located less than an inch from the joint and is connected to the joint via a ligament. The ligament transfers different auditory simulations to this part of the ear. The closeness of the TMJ to the muscles of the neck can also be proved by the fact that, any aches starting in the TMJ, soon extends to affect the neck muscles as well. This close proximity of the vital organs also result in the tinnitus sounds being heard by a person suffering from TMJ disorders. Indeed, a great amount of confusion among medical experts lie in the issue as to whether tinnitus problems caused TMJ, or if the case was vice versa.

A Look At The Less Commonly Noted Symptoms Of TMJ:

* Ringing sounds in the ear, similar to what the tinnitus patients get to hear. This symptom is mainly brought to light via the actions of the Pinto’s Ligament, which is the connecting region between the mid-area of the ear and the temporomandibular joint, serving as a passage for transmission (both ways),
* The area near the jaw (more particularly, the cheek) gets affected as a result of the TMJ disorders. Such adverse effects generally show up as swellings on the sides of the face that have been actually affected. Not all TMJ patients, however, suffer from this symptom of the ailment, making it somewhat rare,
* Hurting sensations in the shoulder, often of a serious and intense nature. Such shoulder pains start off from one particular side of the body, and travel along the muscles of the neck. Other areas can also become affected,
* While not many TMJ patients actually suffer from vertigo, at least in the initial stages, they do often talk of a certain giddy feeling. This generally starts of with the afflicted person feeling queer and lightheaded, and his/her head starting to spin. These problems can soon assume much more serious proportions as well,
* It is also observed that, if a TMJ patient happens to be more than 50 years old, (s)he is increasingly likely to experience a numb feeling in his/her fingers. Driving a car and/or signing documents become impossible in such cases. Thankfully, these situations do not last for long, and relief is obtained without any separate medications either.

However, it should not be considered that, the uncommon symptoms of TMJ disorders are limited to only the above four cases. In fact, the following case studies would only serve to highlight how varied and troublesome these symptoms can prove to the actual sufferers:

Case Study 1 – Absence of TMJ aches, but the jaw pops out at regular intervals:

The problems faced by a TMJ patient (name not disclosed according to patient’s request) were summed up by the following: “I have suffered from problems with my TMJ since I was a child. When I was 10 years old, my mother used to complain of me “clicking my teeth” on a spoon when I ate. The trouble is, my teeth never came near the spoon. The sound she heard came from my jaw popping. My jaw now dislocates constantly. I can’t eat pizza or french bread, or even sing, without it locking. I wake up several times each night having to relocate my jaw. There is no pain just a jaw that can’t seem to function normally. Brux guards do nothing. In fact, the only thing that seems to keep my jaw from popping and sticking is applying pressure to the left TMJ. I have to sleep these days with a hard pillow pressing against the joint, or it pops out constantly. It’s clear that something is keeping my jaw from aligning properly, but no one seems to be able to help me fix it.”

Second Case Study: TMJ Patient Taking In The Saliva Continuously

Another TMJ disorder affected patient (also refusing to disclose his/her name) summed up his/her inconveniences in the following way: “I never clench or grind my teeth but I am constantly doing it now. The side of my face in front of my ear feels swollen, as does that side of my neck and the ear itself. My neck and shoulders ache, and I am constantly swallowing saliva. The back of my neck hurts. My ear rings and kind of feels numb at times. The predominant symptom I have is the neck pain. Even the bone in back of my last tooth feels bad.”

Case Study 3 – At Distances Of Even Five Feet, Click Sounds Of The Jaw Being Rendered Audible:

As TMJ patients try to open their jaws, certain clicking sounds (often at fairly loud levels) can be emitted. The following is the experience of one such sufferer of the TMJ disorders: “I have had joint pain and severe popping and cracking in my right jaw for 20 years. I am now 35. I have tried all the recommended treatments and have had very little success (braces, night guards etc.). I experience headaches, ear fullness and pain, facial pain in front of my ear, extreme pain when opening my mouth wide to yawn or laugh or eat followed by cracking (that can be heard up to 5 feet away) and dislocation.”

Getting Rid Of TMJ Disorders: Advisability Of The Natural Procedures

It is often recommended to the TMJ patients that they should take up treatment methods of TMJ problems, which have a natural base. While these remedies, often made at home, do have their beneficial features, they fall into the same trap as do the conventional treatment modes and medicines that are available without prescriptions – viz, targeting only the symptoms of the TMJ problem, and not the reasons that lie behind it. This is where the holistic treatment modes score over these medications, since the former considers the entire bodily system of the patient as a complete unit, and drives out the root causes of the problem, after detecting them systematically. With the exodus of these TMJ-disorder causing factors, the symptoms of the disease go away too, never to return again. Hence, for getting a lasting relief from the TMJ troubles, the holistic methods are considered to be the best option.

Sandra Carter is a certified nutritionist and author of the best-selling e-book, TMJ No More . For Further Information: Unusual Symptoms Of TMJ

Related posts:

1. Understanding TMJ DisorderEach year, millions of Americans suffer from temporomandibular (TMJ) joint and muscle disorders. These disorders are also usually called TMJ disorders and they can cause severe pain in the jaw...
2. A Closer Look at TMJ SyndromeHaving difficulty in moving your mouth, especially when opening or closing it? Do you hear popping or clicking sounds when you move your jaws? If you answered yes to any...
3. EXPOSED: TMJ Symptoms Including Numbness In Arms And FingersThe temporomandibular joint is a complex bone formation in the base of the skull that aids in the opening and closing of the mouth in order to eat, drink, masticate,...
4. A Simple TMJ CureTMJ... We have often heard about it but many of us still do not clearly understand what a temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ is. TMJ is the most commonly used...
5. Chiropractic Care Relieves TMJ SymptomsI have been encountering TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint disease) symptoms for quite some time without knowing what the problem was. It was the ringing in my ears that was really pushing...
6. TMJ Pain and TMJ ExercisesIt can be quite annoying to suffer from TMJ disorder. Not only does this disorder cause great pain, it can also be tricky to diagnose. TMJ disorder has a wide...
7. What Is The Treatment For TMJ: Get Your ANSWER Here.Though we have long given up the habit of fighting for food and snatching large chunks of meat with our teeth before anyone else could get to it, and biting...
8. Migraine Sufferers In West Haven Receive Therapy To Relieve TMJ Pain FrequentlyWest Haven is a large metropolitan area that has it all: culture, entertainment and first class medical and dental facilities. For everyone, finding a West Haven dentist is easy; the...
9. Arthritis – Symptoms, Treatment And Natural Remedies To Get Relief Arthritis PainMany people live with joint pain on a regular basis and just assume they're getting arthritis, but not all joint pain is caused by arthritis, and not all joint pain...
10. Symptoms Of A Whiplash Following A Car AccidentCar accidents can cause a number of injuries, one of which is whiplash. The hitting of the car from the rear side is mostly the case involving a whiplash injury....
11. Usual Sleep Apnea SymptomsDo your snoring bother you? Do you dream to have a good night sleep? The only solution is to visit a specialist and seek medical help. Many don't even realize...
12. Chronic Arthritis of Childhood – Part TwoWhen a smaller number of joints are affected (the oligoarticular type) there are four or fewer joints exhibiting arthritic symptoms with the larger joints being preferentially affected. Such children do...
13. Stress Symptoms – Know What They Are Before It’s Too LateStress symptoms can display themselves in many different forms, depending on who you are and what triggers you have in your life. If you're feeling stressed, it's important to act...
14. Chronic Pain Symptoms Are Sometimes Related To FibromyalgiaThe causes of chronic pain might actually be a lot of different things. But typically, you can reportedly have this if there is a sense of repeated pain experienced inside...
15. What Is The Symptoms Of Trench Mouth?Trench mouth is a serious disorder where you have acute gingivitis. The health of your mouth has deteriorated to a point where you need to take action. However you need...