6 Tips to Reduce Stress-Induced Jaw Pain
By Meredith Dunford, PT, MSPT, OCS, Cert. DN, CKTP
Does your jaw bother you when you are stressed? The jaw joint and stress have a unique bond. For many people, jaw pain & soreness is secondary to stress.
Stress is how the body reacts to and handles harmful situations, but ongoing stress can manifest in physical ways. Clenching teeth puts additional undue strain on the jaw muscles and increases the pressure on the jaw joint. You may experience a sore jaw, muscle pain, tooth pain, or headache as a result. Managing your stress can help relieve these symptoms.
The following are six tips for reducing stress:
- Identify stressors – Keep note of the times of day or things in your day that cause stress.
- Avoid stress or adjust your situation – Stress usually mounts when we are running short on time for the demands we have. Prepare ahead for situations that will be stressful. Set goals and priorities. Decide what has to get done and what can wait. Recognize what you have been able to accomplish. Learn to say “No” to things that are putting you into overload. Ask for help.
- Alter your response – If you cannot avoid a stressor, try to change how you respond to that event. Don’t just react. Choose your response. Take a breath and find “the space” between the trigger and your reaction.
- Accept when things are out of your control – Don’t get bogged down with being angry. Learn to let it go. Make a list of what you are grateful for.
- Live healthy – Get on a regular sleep schedule striving for eight hours on the same daily cycle. Exercise to help boost your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins. It does not have to be strenuous. Starting with 30 minutes of walking at a comfortable pace 3-5 times a week can help.
- Find a way to purposefully relax – Unavoidable stress needs to be balanced out with activities that help to relax your mind. Listen to music, meditate, start a hobby, perform abdominal breathing, yoga or mindfulness can help to physically relax the tension and give your mind a positive focus. It doesn’t matter what you chose as long as it refocuses your attention on something more calming.
If these tips don’t help and jaw symptoms continue, a physical therapist can help relieve the pain. Through massage, ultrasound, manipulation, and dry needling techniques, physical therapy can help in:
• reducing headaches
• decreasing neck pain
• decreasing locking
• improving range of motion
• returning to normal function/decreasing dietary restrictions
Call (804) 764-1000 or complete our contact form to schedule an evaluation with a therapist who understands temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ).