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For the last several years I have been suffering from severe pain....?
jaw soreness and muscle spasms (left side of my head) forehead tightness and scalp tenderness. Went to a million doctors and was being treated for anxiety and migraines with Xanax and Topomax. On a whim I tryed a dental nightguard and after a few days the spasms stopped and after 2 weeks the jaw soreness is gone, but I cannot seem to get rid of the tightness in my forehead or the scalp tenderness. I am grateful to FINALLY have some relief but would love to rid myself of the rest of these annoying symptoms, any ideas?
PS - I exercise 4 days a week at the gym (cardio and weights) eat very healthy, take a multi vitamin in the morning and calcium and magnesium supplements before bed to help with circulation and the nerves in my head.
Also - when all of this 1st started I was visiting a chiropractor regularly after having back pain for awhile. After joining the gym the back pain stopped so I stopped the chiropractor, so simply visiting a chiropractor will most likely not solve the problem, though restarting regular adjustments may help?
And I don't grind my teeth, I do clench which is why the nightguard seems to be helping.
2 Answers
- dares2caresLv 61 decade agoFavorite Answer
OK here is what is going on in your body. The fact that a dental guard helped you out means that you have TMJ. However, the most common cause of TMJ is missed. The majority of the time you will have a misalignment of your head and neck. This causes your head to be on "crooked". As a result, your jaw ( which has a lot of mechano-receptors ( receptors that determine proper positioning), wants to be level. As a result, it will tighten up the jaw on one side and loosen the jaw on the other. This will cause a grinding of your teeth on the side that it is trying to tighten (for you it is on the left). This will also cause jaw soreness, headaches, ringing in the ears, scalp tenderness and all the other symptoms that you explained. When you put in the mouth guard, it served as an absorber for the pressure that normally goes into your jaw.
Now if you look in your mirror and put both your thumbs on the bumps at the base of your skull on both sides ( in the back behind the ears), I would be willing to bet that one side is significantly higher than the other side. This misalignment will cause all the problems you are experiencing.
In order to correct this problem ( the guard did not fix the problem, it just alleviated the symptoms), you really should see a chiropractor. They will be able to realign your neck and head. This will help correct the problem and once you have that corrected you will no longer need the nightguard.
I hope this really helps you.
I wish you the best
Source(s): Chiropractor who has helped correct patients with your exact symptoms.