I’d never heard of TMJ until I had Fibromyalgia and started seeing the two words paired together. It’s not surprising as Fibromyalgia is one of those illnesses doctors rarely explain correctly because they’re too busy to pay attention. One of those random symptoms is TMJ or temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD).
What is the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) or TMD (temporomandibular jaw disorders)
The temporomandibular joint’s job is connecting your jaw to your skull and stabilizing the muscles that open and close your mouth controlling chewing, yawning and swallowing. When you have pain and tenderness around the joints it’s called either TMJ or TMD disorder.
More than 10 million people in the United States are believed to be affected by the jaw pain of TMJ, and the disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.¹
More than 10 million people in the United States are believed to be affected by the jaw pain of TMJ, and the disorder is more prevalent in women than in men. Click To Tweet
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Pain is a frequent symptom, especially while you’re chewing your food. Other symptoms are:
- Limited movement of the jaw (or locking jaw)
- Headaches
- Pain spreading behind the eyes.
- Radiating pain in the face, neck, and shoulders
- Swelling on the side of your face
- Painful grating or popping sounds when you open and close your mouth
- Pain around the ears
- An abrupt change in the way the teeth fit together
- Teeth grinding or clenching
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Many people with Fibromyalgia experience a high level of TMJ symptoms like clicking or popping sounds when they move their jaw, as well as facial pain and muscle pain in the head and neck.
Many people with Fibromyalgia experience a high level of TMJ symptoms like clicking or popping sounds when they move their jaw, as well as facial pain and muscle pain in the head and neck. Click To TweetMy personal experience with TMJ and Fibromyalgia
I initially had no idea that TMJ was associated with Fibromyalgia. I only found out the name TMJ a few years ago when another blogger wrote about the link and suddenly it all made sense. Although I was never officially diagnosed, I kept experiencing teeth, mouth, and cheek pain that wasn’t connected to any problems with my teeth. Eventually, a dentist gave me a mouth guard and that seemed to help somewhat, but I still wake up with pain in my face on a regular basis, especially when I’m stressed.
The relationship between Fibromyalgia and TMJ
We don’t really know why people with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS are more likely to experience TMJ. One theory links TMJ to the central sensitization and high sensitivity common in Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS patients. That’s the same reason why Fibromyalgia patients tend to become overstimulated, experiencing sensory overload. Since I’m the queen of being overstimulated, this makes sense to me.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) studied the symptoms of 60 men and 60 women with Fibromyalgia. Almost 70% of patients had facial pain near the TMJs while 35% had TMJ disorder symptoms such as difficulty opening the mouth and discomfort when eating. The NIH’s conclusion was that patients diagnosed with Fibromyalgia should also be tested for TMJ disorder.
Another study of Fibromyalgia patients found that 94% experienced pain from TMJ lasting an average of twelve years. For most patients, the overall body pain lasted longer than TMJ suggesting that the fibro body pain came first and may have led to the TMJ symptoms. So first comes the fibro, then comes the TMJ.²
What are the treatments for TMJ?
Like many of the other symptoms experienced thanks to fibromyalgia, TMJ disorders have no clear or easy solution. Possible options are:
- Resting the joint
- NSAIDS
- Ice packs and heating pads
- Relaxation techniques (isn’t it relaxing to be in pain)
- Behavior changes (to stop clenching)
- Diet changes (moving to foods easier to chew)
- Wearing a nightguard
- Surgery (a last resort)
- Avoiding moving jaw
- Don’t rest your chin on your hands
- Don’t hold the phone with your head and neck
- Keep your teeth slightly apart
Overall, TMJ is another not fully understood side effect or complication from Fibromyalgia. Hopefully one day Fibromyalgia and TMJ will have better research available.
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofascial Research. TMJ Disorders. National Institutes of Health. 2017;17:3487.
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B. Hedenberg-Magnusson, M. Ernberg, S. Kopp. Presence of orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorder in fibromyalgia. A study by questionnaire. Swed Dent J, 23 (1999), pp. 185-192
This is a fantastic post because not many will realise the problems they’re experiencing are TMJ (like my mum) as it can seem like maybe you can explain it through teeth problems, migraines, bone problems, muscle pain, earache, tinnitus, infection etc. And like you, it’s not often thought of as being an issue for fibromyalgia sufferers. Really done well breaking this down and explaining it so clearly.
Caz xx