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TMJ Symptoms

April 19, 2022 by Robin

physical therapist explaining TMJ anatomy

How do you tell if your facial, head, or neck pain is related to your temporomandibular (TMJ) joint? The TMJ is the hinge joint that opens and closes your jaw. The joint can be palpated just in front of the ear, or from inside the ear. The muscles that operate this joint to open and close the jaw can be palpated along the temple, jawbone, and from inside the mouth. Sometimes, you can feel pain directly in the area around the joint, but there are other symptoms you should be aware of:

Neck pain
Aching facial pain
Headache
Pain or tenderness of the jaw muscles
Aching pain in or around the ear
Difficulty with or pain with chewing
Jaw “locking” or difficulty opening or closing

It is common for people with TMJ disorders to also have neck problems. Neck posture definitely affects the mechanics of the TMJ and correction of posture and treatment of neck dysfunction is often key to TMJ pain or headache relief. At Saunders Therapy Centers, we can evaluate your head, neck, and jaw to determine the root cause of your symptoms, and develop a treatment plan to get you feeling better in no time.

TMJ Headache

December 28, 2022April 19, 2022 by Robin

Woman with pained expression due to jaw pain

TMJ headaches can be disabling. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell where your headache is coming from – a good physical therapist can help! The temporomandibular joint has several muscular attachments, and a seemingly simple thing like forward head posture can place abnormal stress on those muscles. Pain receptors from the muscles are activated, triggering a headache.

Another source of TMJ headaches is the joint itself. A swollen, inflamed joint causes muscles to become tight and inflamed, causing spasm. Resulting headache can be felt around the skull, face and even neck areas. Saunders physical therapists are skilled at evaluating and treating most TMJ disorders. There is often both a muscular and a joint component, and the neck and upper back are often involved. At Saunders, our approach entails:

Musculoskeletal Evaluation: A thorough evaluation will be performed on your initial visit. We can determine which tissues are involved by palpating the joint and muscles externally around the head and neck, and inside your mouth.

Manual Therapy: Our therapists all have advanced training in manual therapy which is a hands-on approach that addresses restrictions and provides gentle stimulation to relieve pain.

Exercise: Depending on whether your symptoms are caused by posture, neck or jaw tightness, or instability, a custom exercise program will be prescribed.

Postural Education and Positions of Relief: Our physical therapists will teach you body awareness and you will learn mechanics and postures that decrease load and stress on the spine and jaw. Something as simple as the resting position of your tongue can make a big difference!

Dizziness Caused by Migraine or Neck Pain

April 18, 2022 by Robin

There are many different causes of dizziness including conditions of the inner ear, medication side effects, changes in blood pressure, or prolonged bed rest. Did you know that migraine headaches and painful neck conditions can also cause dizziness?

When migraine is accompanied by vertigo, neck pain may also be present. The neck symptoms can vary, but often include:

Reduced range of motion
Pain on one side of the neck, radiating to the temple, forehead, or eye
Pain on one side of your cheek or face
Pain at one or both sides of the base of your skull
Sometimes, pain can radiate to one shoulder

Treating the neck symptoms often relieves the dizziness and lessens the severity of migraine symptoms. Saunders Therapy Centers’ physical therapists are experts at evaluating and treating musculoskeletal conditions of the neck, and can assess whether your dizziness is originating from migraine or neck symptoms.

What Does A Physical Therapist Do for Dizziness Related to Migraine or Neck Pain?

Vertigo disorders are multi-factorial in nature and require a thorough exam to identify contributing factors. Our approach:

Musculoskeletal Evaluation: Your evaluation will include an assessment of your posture, muscle flexibility, muscle strength and gait analysis.
Dizziness/Balance Evaluation: Your evaluation will also include balance testing, as well as positional testing designed to establish the source(s) of dizziness. Sometimes, we may do simple tests to check your eye movements as they related to your symptoms.
Education: We spend time discussing your diagnosis and encourage self-management strategies as part of our comprehensive treatment approach.
Treatment: Our aim is to get you feeling better from the first visit. Depending on the results from your exam, you may respond well to manual therapy, or hands-on techniques designed to improve the symmetry and tone in the muscles of the head and neck. Simple home exercises are often an important part of your treatment plan.

Falls Prevention and Balance Training

August 3, 2023April 18, 2022 by Robin

Dizziness, unsteadiness, and feeling a loss of balance is very unpleasant and frustrating. Individuals over the age of 65 are statistically at much higher risk of falls. Each year, millions of older people—those 65 and older—fall. In fact, more than one out of four older people falls each year. Falling once doubles your chances of falling again, and 1 out of 5 falls in the elderly cause a fracture or head injury. (Statistics from the CDC’s Facts About Falling)

Saunders physical therapists play a crucial role in fall prevention for their patients. Falls can lead to significant injuries and reduced quality of life, especially for older adults or individuals with certain medical conditions. Here are some strategies that our physical therapists can employ to prevent falls:

We Love to Help Prevent Falls!

Assessment and Screening: We will perform a detailed evaluation to objectively assess your fall risk

Individualized Exercise Programs: We will design specific exercises to strengthen your legs and the muscles that support balance. This personalized exercise program will focus on improving strength, balance, flexibility, and coordination.

Fall Risk Education: We will teach you about fall risk factors and how to recognize environmental hazards and navigate safely in your surroundings. We will problem-solve situations in your home to decrease your risk of falls

Gait Training: We will work on improving walking patterns and gait mechanics to enhance stability and reduce the risk of stumbling or tripping.

Use of Assistive Devices: If necessary, our physical therapists can recommend and train you on the use of assistive devices, such as canes or walkers, to provide additional support during mobility.

Balance Training: We can teach specific exercises that challenge balance and proprioception, helping you improve your stability and ability to recover from unexpected balance disturbances.

Vision Assessment: We definitely encourage our patients to have their vision checked regularly and ensure they you wear appropriate eye wear when necessary.

Medication Review: We remind you to consult with your healthcare providers about potential side effects of medications that may affect balance or increase fall risk.

Monitoring and Progression: We will regularly monitor your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed to continue challenging appropriately.

Fall Recovery Techniques: Our experts can teach you techniques for safe falling and how to recover from a fall to minimize injury.

Community and Home-Based Programs: We encourage our patients to participate in community-based exercise programs or group classes specifically aimed at fall prevention.

Multidisciplinary Approach: Collaborate with other healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, physicians, and nurses, to create a comprehensive fall prevention plan for each patient.

Fall Follow-Up: After successful fall prevention training, we can continue monitoring as necessary to ensure you maintain your functional gains and do not develop new risk factors.

At Saunders, we realize that fall prevention requires a multi-faceted approach, and physical therapists play a significant role in reducing fall risk and improving the overall safety and well-being of their patients.

BPPV – Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

August 3, 2023April 18, 2022 by Robin

BPPV, or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, is the most common source of vertigo. Vertigo is the false sensation that you are falling, or the room is spinning. The main symptom of BPPV is that your vertigo is triggered by head movements (suddenly looking up, down, or to the right or left.) Rarely serious, it is significantly disabling and can cause a risk of falling. Fortunately, it can be helped by physical therapy.

Tiny organs and fluid in your inner ear are responsible for balance. BPPV occurs when tiny calcium crystals called otoconia or “canaliths” come loose from their normal location in the inner ear. When the ear crystals become detached, they can flow freely in the fluid-filled spaces of the inner ear, including the semi-circular canal – the organ that senses rotation of the head. These floating crystals create havoc, by falsely telling your inner ear that your position in space is changing. This is what causes the spinning sensation with head movement that people with BPPV describe.

Your physical therapist will perform a thorough evaluation to determine whether your vertigo/dizziness is likely caused by BPPV. If so, positional techniques called “Canalith Repositioning” can be very effective in resolving the symptoms.

What Does A Physical Therapist Do for BPPV?

Saunders Therapy Centers physical therapists are all skilled at performing Canalith Repositioning techniques.

The canalith repositioning procedure consists of several simple maneuvers for positioning your head. Guided by your therapist, the head movements attempt to move the loose particles from the fluid-filled semicircular canals of your inner ear into a location where they don’t cause trouble and are more easily resorbed.

This procedure often works immediately, and usually works after one or two treatments. Since BPPV can recur, you will be taught how to perform the procedure on yourself so that you can do it at home if needed.

Craniosacral Therapy (CST)

June 7, 2022April 18, 2022 by Robin

Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle hands on technique to restore normal position and motion of the bones of the skull, spine and sacrum, and to restore cerebrospinal fluid flow. Physical Therapists who perform craniosacral therapy have had specialized training and have very skilled touch and intuition.

What is the Craniosacral System? What is the Theory?

The body’s craniosacral system includes the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It extends from the cranium (head) to the sacrum (tailbone). The cerebrospinal fluid circulates through the brain and spinal cord at a rate of 6 to 12 cycles per minute and is called the craniosacral rhythm. This craniosacral rhythm can be felt through gentle touch and can lead the therapist to restrictions in the body. Restrictions in the membranes of this system can affect the central nervous system and other systems in the body.

Contracture in the soft tissues at the skull and spinal cord can restrict the flow in the craniosacral system. CST uses the craniosacral rhythm and system as a guide to correct restrictions and to facilitate optimal craniosacral function. The result is improvement in pain and function.

What To Expect

All patients receive a thorough musculoskeletal evaluation that includes assessment of your posture, muscle imbalances, biomechanics, and joint mobility to identify areas contributing to your symptoms.

With Craniosacral Therapy, your treatment is very gentle. Very light pressure in just the right spot releases flow restrictions and results in immediate pain relief and restored motion.

Craniosacral Therapy is often combined with other forms of therapy, like Myofascial Release, joint mobilization, and appropriate exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions About Craniosacral Therapy

Cervicogenic Occipital Headaches

December 28, 2022April 17, 2022 by Robin

Woman sitting with furrowed brow due to headache

Cervicogenic headache is also called “occipital headache”. The occipital region of the neck is at the back of the head, and this is where the symptoms are found. Symptoms can be constant, affecting either side of the head. Symptoms often increase with prolonged positions of the head and neck. Some people can have nausea, dizziness, vomiting, light and sound sensitivity associated with cervicogenic headaches.

Physical therapists treat this type of headache with a variety of helpful techniques. Treatment involves myofascial release, manual therapy techniques, gentle stretching, muscle retraining, and postural correction. Education to relax the muscles of the face, neck, and upper body are also very beneficial.

Tension Headaches

August 3, 2023April 17, 2022 by Robin

Seated man with tense look on face due to headache

Tension headaches are a common type of headache characterized by a dull, aching pain, typically felt on both sides of the head. They are often caused by stress, muscle tension, poor posture, or fatigue. Symptoms are often constant and do not change with activity or rest. Many tension headache sufferers rely on medication just to get through the day.

The good news is that physical therapists at Saunders Therapy Centers can provide treatment and advice for tension headaches:. Treatment involves myofascial release, manual therapy techniques, gentle stretching, muscle retraining, and postural correction. Education to relax the muscles of the face, neck, and upper body are also very beneficial.

Tension Headache Treatment at Saunders Therapy Centers

Manual Therapy: Gentle mobilization techniques to the neck, shoulders, and even jaw can help relieve muscle tension and reduce headache symptoms.

Relaxation techniques: Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga can help reduce stress and muscle tension that contribute to tension headaches.

Heat or cold therapy: Applying a warm compress or taking a warm bath can help relax tense muscles. Alternatively, a cold pack or ice wrapped in a cloth can be applied to the forehead or neck to help numb the pain.

Posture Correction: Maintaining good posture can help prevent tension headaches. Our hands-on techniques, exercise instruction and advice helps you be mindful of your posture while sitting, standing, and working on the computer.

Good Advice: Your Saunders PT will help you problem solve such issues as staying hydrated and getting enough rest, recognizing and avoiding triggers, and maintaining a healthy exercise routine.

Cluster Headaches

December 28, 2022April 17, 2022 by Robin

Woman lying on couch pinching her nose area due to headache

With a cluster headache, pain is very severe and always on one side of the head. Generally pain is experienced behind the eye and is described as pulsing. Stuffy nose and watery eyes often accompany pain. Symptoms tend to occur at the same time of day over a period of weeks to months. Symptoms will then disappear, only to reappear after several months. Men tend to be more affected with this type than women.

Physical therapists can effectively treat postural or muscle tension problems that may be contributing to cluster headaches, making the problem worse. Postural correction, myofascial release, manual therapy, and relaxation techniques are used quite effectively.

Migraine Headaches

December 28, 2022April 17, 2022 by Robin

physical therapist performs craniosacral Headache Treatment

With a migraine headache, pain is experienced throughout the entire head, deep within, and is described as pulsing pain of moderate to severe intensity. Light and sound sensitivity is also common. Nausea, distorted vision, and numbness in the face and tongue can also be symptoms. Symptoms last from 4 to 72 hours and affect women twice as much as men.

Physical therapists can help with associated symptoms of tension, postural dysfunction, and muscle imbalance, though the primary treatment for migraine often involves medication management.