The Impact of Stress on TMJ Issues (Part 1 of 2)

It seems like no matter which way you turn these days stress is everywhere! The reality is that stress has been present throughout human history, the thing that I think is different now is how rapidly things come at us.  In the 1990's I read a great book by Richard Swenson MD titled Margin Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives .  In this book Swenson likens modern day life to reading a book with no margins, every space on the page is filled up with words. Who wants to read a book like that ?  Who wants to live a life like that ? Yet that is exactly where a lot of us find ourselves these days !  

We often think of stress as a mental state, and to be sure it is, but it has some very real physical consequences.  Here is are some the Cleveland Clinic lists: Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Aches and pains.
• Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
• Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
• Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
• High blood pressure
• Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
• Stomach or digestive problems.
• Trouble having sex.
• Weak immune system.

The Posture of Stress and How it Effects Your TMJ

There is no doubt Mr. Bean here is clinching his jaw!  Is he mad or stressed ? Truthfully are they different? From a scientific point of view stress is something that effects a change in the nervous system.  You might have just won the lottery and you will be stressed, but most people would say that is good.  Typically physical expressions of happiness might be jumping up and down and waving your arms around and almost always you smile and hold your head up. The flip side, maybe you just got let go from a job, most people would say that is a bad stress.  Typically the physical expressions of sadness might be things like slumped shoulders, bent forward head and a sad expression.  Anger is usually considered a bad stress. Typical anger postures might be clinched fists, stiffened neck and torso and a tight jaw, sometimes even physically shaking. The postures of what most of us consider happy stress lend themselves to muscle relaxation.  The postures of "bad" stress cause muscle contraction (among other things like high blood pressure, etc.).  Our bodies are designed to handle the ebb and flow of different stressors throughout a lifetime, but when times of stress go on for long time they can begin to actually rewire your nerve system, and your posture along with it.  Because the TMJ sits on the skull, it is essentially the last stop before your brain.  Stress tends to find it's way here pretty easily.  In addition, the nerve structure that makes the TMJ work is very sophisticated and highly sensitive, it is going to reflect stress fairly quickly in most of us.  When these forces are at play over a period of time, they can begin to breakdown the muscles, discs and cartilage of this very sensitive area.

One Brick at a Time... Leave a Way Out!

Sometimes stress is forced on us all at once.  More often it builds up slow like bricks being laid down for a wall.  Walls can be good things, they can keep out harmful stuff.  Your brain and bodies response to stress can fall into that category as well.  Let's face it, the trials in our life often make us stronger for future events, and there will be future events! But a wall with no gates becomes a prison, it bottles up and keeps everything inside.  On the other hand, strategically placed gates allow safe and protected passage through the wall so you can interact with the outside world and yet still have a protected place to retreat to.  

In conclusion, STRESS CAN definitely impact TMJ pain!  Stress often builds up over time so changes in the TMJ and it's subsequent pain syndromes may continue even when stress seems low.  Addressing the mechanical causes of the TMJ (Adjusting, stretching, cold laser, exercises, stretches, etc. can all help reset the TMJ joint itself.  However removing or at least reducing the stressors in life when possible can be very important for long standing TMJ pain.  Sometimes you can't get out from under a heavy stress burden anytime soon.  In those cases we have found that mitigating the effects stress can have on your system can still be very helpful at keeping TMJ issues at bay.  In part Two of this Article we will review three easy and effective ways to at least modulate the physical effects of stress on the body.

Yours in Health,

Doug Williams, D.C.

TMJ Relief Center at Care Chiropractic

134 Executive Drive #3

Lafayette, Indiana

47905

(765) 448-6489