Search:

TMJ and Arthritis: Is There a Link?

The temporomandibular joints, more commonly referred to as the TMJ, can be found in front of the ears, right at the spot where the upper jaw and lower jaw meets. Try to open your mouth. Feel the ball-like joints forming near your ears. Then close your mouth. Do you feel the bones moving? Those are the temporomandibular joints. TMJ's are well used joints. You move it as you speak, eat, bite, or yawn. And it's a set of complex joints too. When observed under the microscope, the joints are made up of complicated arrays of bones, tendons, and muscles.

As such, TMJ disorders are very common. TMJ disorders are characterized by the stiffness of the joints. It can also be associated to ear pain, headaches, bite problems, locked jaws, or clicking sounds. The worse that could happen is arthritis. TMJ can definitely lead to arthritis if the symptoms are not addressed right away. The underlying conditions of jaw arthritis and TMJ disorders would include teeth grinding, nail biting, gum chewing, teeth misalignment, dental problems, stress, and jaw trauma. If you suffer from any of these conditions, consult with your doctor right away to prevent arthritis.

The most common symptom of TMJ disorders would be recurring headaches. You may also experience facial pains every now and then. The pain could start on TMJ and then spread all over the face and the head. The condition may even get worse as you try to move your jaws. Expect the contraction of the jaws to be very painful. It could get worse if you are in a place where the weather or the surroundings are cold.

Most of TMJ disorder patients go through episodes of ear pain. There might not be signs of infection in the ears but the pain would be as intense. The pain may be concentrated right on the spot where the joints are located. So if your ears hurt but you don't feel any pus, hearing loss, or infections in your ear, TMJ disorders might be causing the problem.

Grinding, clicking, crunching, and popping sounds are normal on people with TMJ problems. Severe pain may come together with the sounds as well. Episodes of dizziness are usually associated with the disorder too. Balance problems are also expected.

More severe conditions such as fullness of the ear and tinnitus may also occur. With these complications, the patient's ears could feel muffled or clogged. This is usually felt with greater intensity when aboard the airplane, more particularly during takeoffs and landings.

TMJ disorders can be hard to diagnose. This is because both a dentist and a doctor have to test you for it. Dentists are tasked to treat the problem if it is caused by teeth imperfections. If not, then a doctor would step in. In worse cases, surgery may be required.

TMJ disorders can definitely cause arthritis in high risk patients. As such, you should never ignore the condition once you feel any type of pain in the ear area. Prompt diagnosis would spare you prolonged discomfort of the condition.

Article Source: http://www.newagelivingarticles.com

Part 2 - For part two of this article, head on to www.psoraticarthritisreview.com where you can also find the truth about natural arthritis pain relief and herbal treatment for arthritis.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Medicines and Remedies Articles Via RSS!

Additional Articles From - Home | Medicines And Remedies

GenFx: Get the Truth About Genfx HGH Before Wasting Your Hard Earned Money - By : Jerry Tomak
What Should You Consider When Searching For Stretch Mark Treatments? - By : Wong Darren
Pancreatic Cancer and Its Alternative Treatments - By : Rob Griggs
Popular Special Effects Lenses - By : A. Nutt
The Shocking Truth About Acne - By : Brad Thomas
Hair Follicle Regeneration in Mammals Poses New Hope For Hair Loss Treatment - By : W. Darren -
The 5 Different Methods of Cleansing Your Colon - By : Wong Darren
When to Suspect That You Have Nail Fungus? - By : Wong Darren
Genf20 HGH Releaser -- Educating Yourself on GenF20 and HGH - By : Jenifer Melik
Artificial Eye Care - By : Carolina Eye Prosthetics

Article Directory Software
Click here to download the exact software that powers this directory for FREE. Start your own article directory today!

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email to Friends
	Ezine Ready

Top Authors
Submit Articles
Member Login
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds

Little Book Of Becoming
Masters of the Secret
The Singularity Is Near
Distribute Your Articles to 1000's!
Wildwind Enterprises
Bookstore
About Us
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

LINKS

All Links DirectoryAll Links Directory is 100% SEO friendly Directory and Human Edited.

Dominate The Search Engines with this software

Make Money Being an Affiliate with this software it's easy!

Learn How to Make Daily Profits Online starting Right Now!

Idiot Proof Clickbank Trick Makes $6,513 In 24 Hours

Amazing New Discovery: True psychokinesis easy to Use. Learn to control it for manifestation, healing, karmic repair with chakras.Visit us to find out how This Is 'PK' Mind Over Matter (Ebook, Free Download) fosters positive permanent change!

Submit Your Articles Quick and Easy with this software!

Get Keyword Elite and never hunt for keywords again!

NewAgeLivingArticles.com » Copyright © 2007-2009 WildWind Enterprises
Terms of Service | Submission Guidelines | Contact Us | Link to Us| Privacy Policy | About Us | Article Submissions With A Click 100's of Sites!