Has anyone got any experience of Temporomandibular joint syndrome or disorder

[sunnyraining]

I have had this for a few days. Can't open my mouth or eat.
I don't know how long it lasts (or how long you can survive on soup)
Does anyone have any experience with this?

I do, its horrible. I had a course of botox in the jaw masseter muscles and it really helped!

I do, absolutely horrendous. I found seeing a chiropractor very beneficial

Yes me. I have flare days/ weeks/ months.. worse in winter. Tried just about everything. I was offered acupuncture on the NHS. It worked!!! So now l pay for it myself ( I'm lucky l can afford to).

I've got it mildly. There are exercises online that might help.

It's related to your pelvis. There are lots of studies on it.

Check out some exercises on YouTube.

I had acupuncture, which sorted it after a few sessions.

The acupuncturist also showed me the precise point to press, and at the first sign of it returning, I do acupressure on myself and it stops it in its tracks.

Have you been to the dentist? If it's stuck and you can't open your mouth there's different treatment than for TMJ.

I have chronic TMJ and see a chiropractor regularly who treats me (no bones cracking!). I works recommend finding someone who can help treat it so it doesn't get too bad again.

I can empathise, it’s a really painful feeling. I get this from time to time. A warm flannel on the side affected can help. It will pass, OP.

Yes, I have it - combination of a splint and botox in the jaw got rid of the worst of it (though the pain will come back at the end of a stressful day). Not being able to open your mouth is extreme though - never had that - so maybe my advice is worth nothing.

@canipetthatdawggg
I don't have a dentist, I can't open my mouth very far because it pops or clicks very loudly when I open or close it and if I try and chew it crackles like someone crunching their knuckles and hurts.
I was quite annoyed about something and although unlike me, I clenched my jaw hard in frustration and it has been like this ever since. That'll teach me.

I am going through this right now! But I had a tooth extraction and so the cause is a couple of very large needles in the deep muscle.

I have been told to give it a week (it’s already been a week from tooth extraction) with warm compresses and swilling my mouth with warm water. The warmth really helps.

Ibuprofen and paracetamol is helping and I am researching what massaging to do.

I have been advised I can rub ibuprofen gel on the area to try and reduce the inflammation aswell.

if it isn’t resolved in another week I will need to visit a specialist - physiotherapist/jaw physio/chiropractor etc

I can just about open my mouth wide enough to get a Cadbury’s chocolate finger in! So am cutting up food very small and edging it in. With of course plenty of chocolate fingers!!

If you know it’s not related to your teeth and you can’t fit anything in then you probably need to find a specialist sooner than later.

I'm going through this. My dentist referred me to the local hospital's jaw pain clinic.

I had MRIs done which showed damage in both my jaw and neck.

I've had one round of Botox so far, which has given me a huge improvement in my quality of life.

I didn't know this. I gave birth in October so interesting you should mention relation to pelvis.

I had Botox and a mouth guard made. It hasn't bothered me since.

I've had 2 major flare ups where I couldn't open my mouth more than maybe 2cm, just enough to flick pain killers in along with spoonfuls of water. Both times were triggered by tonsillitis and GP thought I was swallowing in a weird way in an attempt to minimise pain.

Anyway, it took several days to calm down and was total agony feeling like someone was stabbing me with a burning hot knife.

It never totally goes away but if I keep remembering the physio exercises I can keep it at bay.

Definitely get to the dentist especially if you're struggling to drink/eat.

I had it and it cleared gradually. I was prescribed exercises which must have helped. And Soft food. Sympathies OP.

I’ve had it on and off for a good few years, dentist prescribed me a mouthguard which doesn’t help as I clench my teeth harder around the mouth guard.

I paid privately to see a specialist who said it was stress related and that Botox wouldn’t work (so I’m finding it surprising all those who said it worked for them).

A change of jobs, painkillers, regular massages has helped keep it manageable.

That's interesting about the dentist. My chiropractor advised me not to get a mouthguard because it puts the jaw in an unnatural position and causes more problems than it solves.

I had it after a longer than usual dental appointment. Dentist was horrified. I got a pack of tongue depressors (flat wooden splats about the size of an emery board) and started off with three between my top and bottom teeth and each day forced another in. I only had about a quarter inch gap to start with, and lost a lot of weight, as I couldn't eat properly and it took so long to do it as well. Everything was in spasm.

In the end, after several weeks, one of our practice GPs gave me acupuncture which worked within a day or two. But it can return if the stresses on the joint are repeated , so my dentist is now very careful and makes sure I don't spend any length of time with my mouth open.

@sunnyraining I did wonder if you had small children as my first flare up was when my eldest was still in a pram, i remember feeling I just didn't need this on top of looking after a baby.

It's miserable and I hope you find relief soon.

Botox works if the problem is clenching the muscle. If the issue is the joint it probably wouldn't.

Was the mouthguard a soft one or a hard one? A soft one just made me clench more.

What specialist did you see? Have to say the care I got from the NHS for TMJ was amazing, but it was a variety of different specialists from maxillofacial to specialist pain clinic. They got it to a manageable level of pain which I'm very grateful for.

Is there a dental hospital in your area? There's another kind of splint (mouthguard) for when your jaw is stuck (my normal dentist had one made for me by accident).

Your GP might be able to help or 111? You should really see somebody.