Can a TMJ Headache be Helped by Treatments?

You remember how we have talked about headaches and migraines having around three hundred different causes?

You can have headaches that come from the neck area (that's why we recommend buckwheat pillows to help with that), all the way down to your jaw.

While three hundred causes doesn't seem like that many headache culprits, it can be flustering to find what is causing yours, and many people never find what causes their head to hurt, they just have their headache and migraine symptoms treated.

While you may strike gold, and find out what is causing your head to hurt, many headache sufferers run into dead end streets each way they turn. Are you one of those?

You will probably end up going to see headache doctors even if you have TMJ. (The TMJ may slide between the cracks.) Even the best headache specialists make the wrong call, or fail to go the distance to find the cause of your pain.

You know it's much easier to just treat the symptoms of migraines and headaches (had a doctor tell me that) than search for what is causing them. About all headache sufferers end up going to several different doctors, and in the switching around, some issues with your head may be forgotten.

Since you want to know if TMJ may be making your head hurt, (the answer is yes) and you may want to go, and get checked for it.

Some symptoms of TMJ, or TMJ symptoms.

Is biting or chewing difficult? How about waking to a migraine? Earache, or a headache (different from a migraine) in the morning? Neck or shoulders have pain in them? Does your jaws click, or make noises when you open your mouth wide? All of these are TMJ symptoms.

Although not all TMG sufferers have the popping sound, but if you do, and have headaches, it's worth getting checked out. If you also have pain along your facial muscles, your ear, and below your ear, also difficulty opening, and closing your mouth, and swelling in the jaw area, head to your doctor.

(And just as a reminder if he checks and says you have TMJ, make him line you up to have a CAT scan, to determine what is wrong, and how severe it is.) Picture your TMJ like a frog in a pot of water on the stove. If you turn the heat up all of a sudden, the frog will jump out (if your jaw was to suddenly hurt very badly such as a dislocation, or broken jaw, off to the doctor) but if you turn up the heat gradually, the frog will sit there until he dies.

Same with TMJ, sometimes it slowly works on you until you suffer, such as headaches, jaw pain, and so forth. The Trigeminal nerve sits close, and upon irritation can give you a constant headache, like what my wife has. More on that later.

TMJ ( temporomandibular joint disorder) can be joint related, or muscle related. You can have tension in the jaw, and its surrounding muscles, or the joint area can be wearing out in the TMJ area.

She has to have a jaw replacement (ouch) because she didn't realize she had severe arthritis in her right jaw (side that her head hurts), and slowly deteriorated her jaw. Remember the frog. This is a slow process in some cases, to the point of TMJ headaches, and in my wife's case, TMJ surgery. So, point to remember, don't put this off, even if you aren't suffering with headaches or migraines yet, if you have TMJ, get it treated.

Here's a link for more information on TMJ headaches. It's from health central, a respected web site on health problems.

We have the rest of this page on it's way about TMJ surgery, so hold tight till we build it. It's here, TMJ headaches

Take care of, and keep check if you suffer from TMJ headaches, and have your jaws checked.

All the best Home page from TMJ headache

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