bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
Way back before I was properly diagnosed with lyme, I was desperate to find out what was wrong with me. I went to a Chiropractor who said my TMJ was out of alignment (due to a sports injury I had years prior...it WASN"T bothering me.)
He manually / forcibly adjusted my jaw in an effort to fix it. (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BTW) I had this done twice. After the second time, all hell broke loose and I started crashing. This eventually led to my lyme dx.
I have mixed feelings over getting my jaw adjusted. On one hand, I wish I never opened that pandora's box and I wonder if my TMJ will plague me the rest of my life. On the other, I may not have gotten my proper lyme Dx if I didn't "crash" and stumble across my LLMD.
Anyway..I went to a TMJ specialist in 2010 and wore day and night splints for 6 months. I have worn my night splints continuously for 2 years. My TMJ generally doesn't bother me today.
But the past month it has been problematic. Very stiff...achy joint (left side mainly), etc. It is mind and manageable, but there.
Could this be a result of a herx / flare due to my new protocol?
I know TMJ is usually caused by Lyme and / or Babesia. Not so much Bart.
Funny as it seems most of my Bart symptoms are flaring too.
Thoughts?
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 95% +/- most days. Posts: 3134 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
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sammy
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13952
posted
My TMJ doc says that when we are not feeling well, having tons of pain, or are extremely stressed we tend to clench our jaws or grind our teeth. This is a subconscious activity. We don't even know that we are doing it. Some only do it at night.
If you haven't had your splint adjusted in awhile, maybe you could have your TMJ doc check your alignment. You may just need a simple splint adjustment to fix a shift in your jaw. Maybe you need to wear your splint during the day for awhile while you are flaring?
I am newly diagnosed with the TMJ thing so I am learning. Before I started treatment my jaw popped out of place and I had to go to the chiropractor to get it realigned so that I could eat and close my mouth again. This has been happening all of my life, long before Lyme.
Call you TMJ office, I'm guessing the caring staff would have some good advice for you.
Take care
Posts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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desertwind
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25256
posted
I have been having a ton of problems with my TMJ - one of my worst remaining symptoms.
I have a dental orthotic from a very well trained Neuromuscular dentist and have had many adjustments on it. Very, very, very expensive..
All it does is make my TMJ symptoms worse. While it hurts like a bugger, it feels better without wearing the splint. For some reason the orthotic just really flares it.
I just went to another Dentist for a basic nightgaurd - one that will not re-position my jaw and to just wear at night.
I practice relaxation during the day and keep my mouth in the; tongue on roof of mouth, teeth apart and lips closed position.
I also have been applying Magnesium Oil to my jaw area as well as ice/heat contrast. It helps tempoarily. Muscle Relaxers do help but I hate that stuff.
I too am wondering if this is part of a herx and I just need to ride it out...
Posts: 1671 | From Tick Infested New Jersey | Registered: Apr 2010
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As Desertwind said and other things that can help:
Lips together, teeth apart, it will drop your jaw to relax it.
Sleep on your back, not your side as to push the jaw from one side to the other.
Yawn with your chin to your chest.
Do not chew anything sticky chewy. Treat your jaw as you would a sprained ankle. Softer foods, try not to chew hard things that take a lot of chewing.
Nightguards from your dentist if you have them.
When you jaw 'pops' what it's really doing is that there is a disk like a boomerang in between the upper and lower jaw bone. This disk is slipping off and on.
Relaxing the jaw will allow that disk to slip back into place.
I have issues that come and go through the years. I once had my jaw slip sideways for 9 days.(disk slipped all the way off the condyle)
I'm in dentistry and have assisted in many issues with TMJ disorders (TMD).
Yes, herxing can bring on an episode I feel. But a bad bite that torques your jaw will bring it on too. It's a bit of everything rolled into one.
Advil if you can take it too.
-------------------- Lyme, Babs, Fry Bug..... Whatever it is, may a treatment be discovered to make us all whole again! Posts: 941 | From AZ-MT | Registered: Oct 2004
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desertwind
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25256
posted
Interesting about the bad bite because my TMJ pain came on after a bite "balancing" - teeth shaved down too short and it was a disaster.
But shortly after that bite adjustment my lyme flared up....Been a mess ever since.
As ketes are opportunistic I believe we can have them in our TMJ just waiting for the chance to ruin our lives. A bad bite adjustment could change the way the joint moves and maybe do something with scar tissue in the joint where lyme like to live?
I tried doing some self massage/trigger point and it made it worse. I thought massage would help????
Posts: 1671 | From Tick Infested New Jersey | Registered: Apr 2010
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posted
Lyme loves my jaw area. It could be bart too. And it really acts up when I'm herxing. I get massages but my therapist knows to go easy since I've found that if she does deep tissue I will typically have mood swings (anger mostly) and swelling.
Interestingly enough if I over ingest fats/oils and my gallbladder is strained then it will hit my TMJ as well.
-------------------- Just a catepillar, full of imaginal buds. Posts: 143 | From Philadelphia, PA | Registered: Mar 2011
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