TMJD Symptom Series, Part 6: Neck, Back and Shoulder Pain
If you’ve experienced a sore neck or shoulders from something like working out or a bad night’s sleep, you understand how debilitating the pain can be in your daily life. When you are constantly feeling a soreness or tightness in your neck, shoulders or back, it’s possible you’re experiencing the side effects of TMJD.
Here are 5 TMJD symptoms that are associated with neck, back & shoulder pain:
1. Lack of Mobility
Getting out of bed in the morning can be tough, especially when you feel tight or sore in your shoulders or neck. When you’re experiencing a reduced range of motion, it’s likely due to an inflamed muscle, pinched nerve or shifted TMJ joint.
2. Neck pain
The main muscle that wraps across the side of your neck is called the sternocleidomastoid (sterno-cleido-MAS-toid…a big name for a muscle with a big job). Connecting the base of your skull to your shoulders, these muscles get stressed often in the colder months since we tend to elevate our shoulders when we’re cold. Add the pain of a TMJ imbalance and it might be time to meet with a TMJ massage therapist.
3. Shoulder aches
The soft, cushiony muscle that lays over your shoulders is call the trapezius muscle. It extends from the middle of the back of your neck, down to your mid-spine and lays across your shoulder blades.
4. Upper and lower back pain
Back pain is often derived from unbalanced posture. Sitting, standing, walking, or jogging in an uneven position can stress the jaw muscles, forcing them to work inefficiently. The added stress on the TMJ joint causes the neck muscles to become overworked and fatigued, making it a struggle for the neck to balance the placement of the head.
5. Arm and finger tingling, numbness or pain
TMDJ causes tension in the jaw muscles which forces them to work harder than normal. In some cases, domino effect of TMJ tension transfers from the jaw to the neck to the shoulders and down the arms to the fingertips. It’s the pinched nerves from the tension that causes the numbness or tingling your may be feeling.
If you’re experiencing numb fingers, lower back pain or any of the above symptoms, you may be suffering from TMJD. Come in to meet our TMJ massage therapists today to learn if our treatment is right for you.
The last in our TMJ Symptom Series will focus on symptoms revolving around the throat. Stay tuned!
