How Can A Pelvic Floor Therapist Help You With Jaw Pain?

Do you get headaches from clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth? Do you experience jaw pain, difficulty opening your mouth during a dental exam or procedure? You may have or have already been diagnosed with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD), aka jaw pain. Physical therapy can help and is a great complementary treatment in addition to using a bite guard or night guard. One of the most common questions I get is “why is a pelvic floor therapist working on the jaw?” Cue all the jokes that I’ve also heard about this. 

Did you know that your posture and how you breathe plays a huge role in TMD? Who better to help you with your posture and breathing than a pelvic floor therapist? Posture and breathwork play such a huge part in pelvic floor treatment. It is only natural that we eventually work our way up the chain. Of course, as physical therapists, we are also trained in not just exercises to help with posture, but joint mobilization and soft tissue work to help reduce muscle tension, pain, and improve range of motion so that you can move easier whether it is from a pelvic floor issue or a jaw issue. 

I want to take a moment to talk about posture. One of the things that drives me crazy is the idea of “good posture” and “standing up straight”. Sometimes just knowing what “good posture” is isn’t enough. There can be muscular limitations and joint restrictions that make it hard to have “good posture”. That’s where physical therapy shines. We can help you identify where the imbalances are and teach you how to correct the imbalances so that it is easier to have “good posture” and for it to feel more natural.  Sometimes some hands-on manual therapy is needed to help you progress a little faster or to help reduce the pain so that you can work on correcting The Source of the problem. 

I hope this short blog helps shed some light on how the therapist at The Source Pelvic Health and Wellness can also help you with headaches and jaw pain related to TMD. Below is a quick screen I’ve taught dentists to help screen if their patients are appropriate and would benefit from physical therapy: 

1. You have tenderness around your temple or at the base of your skull, especially if it is only on one side. 

2. Your jaw clicks when you open or close your mouth. 

3. Your jaw deviates to one side when you open your mouth.

4. You can’t touch your chin to your chest (no cheating by opening your mouth). 

5. You can’t tilt your head all the way back to look at the ceiling. 

6. You can’t turn your head to touch your chin to your shoulder (without hiking your shoulder up). 

So if you have one or more of the six listed issues in addition to headaches and jaw pain, physical therapy can provide you with relief.