How Electrical Nerve Stimulation Can Alleviate TMD Symptoms

Jaw pain, of any type, can be debilitating and lead a decrease in quality of life. If you are suffering from severe jaw pain, and if you have been diagnosed with Temporomandibular Joint Disease, it is important to understand what alternative medical treatments you may want to consider. With electrical nerve stimulation, ENS, many patients are finding relief from this debilitating neuromuscular complication.

Within our jaws, at the point where the upper jaw and the low jaw meet, there is a joint known as the TMJ, or temporomandibular joint. This joint is responsible for ensuring our jaw can open and close properly, and that we are opening and closing the jaw in proper alignment. When not functioning properly, due to wear and tear, trauma, or infection, pain around this joint can develop - often leading to complications involving nerve pain and tendon pain.

The normal course of treatment for TMD is massage therapy, muscle relaxers, mouth guard use at night, and medications to alleviate pain. Even with the best traditional medical care, many TMD patients can not obtain enough relief to fulfill normal activities of daily living. It is when pain is quite severe that other considerations are made for alternative medical care, i.e. Electrical nerve stimuatlion.

With electrical nerve stimulation, your physician can provide you with a home TENS unit. This unit, considered a piece of medical equipment, is typically covered by insurance and provides regular at-home therapy for nerves, tendons, and muscles that require stimulation for proper healing. Using the TENS unique for electrical nerve stimulation on the temporomandibular joint is quite easy and often provides a significant degree of relief in a supportive role.

When meeting with your doctor about the treatment options for TMD, always ask about the use of alternative medicine as a supportive role to the physician's traditional treatment. In many cases, acupuncture, massage therapy, hypnosis, and even electrical nerve stimulation, can provide the key success treatment you need to optimize the outcome of the medical care as well.

Sources: Case Studies in Dental Hygiene, by Evelyn Thomson