Before You Begin
Dr. Kosterman with Kosterman Chiropractic in Cary, and we’ve been talking about TMJD, or jaw pain for short. Temporomandibular joint, D is the dysfunction. So today, we’re talking about three exercises that you can do at home, at the office, in the car, during the commercial break on TV between your Netflix shows—whenever. Three easy exercises that you can do at home to help calm down the jaw.
A lot of times, the issue is that it’s not balanced. The opening is not balanced. There’s not symmetry or balance between the muscles when you’re opening your jaw. Two of these exercises help with that, and then one of them addresses the other issue.
Keep in mind, if you’re having a lot of jaw pain when you start these exercises, you want to do it slowly and gently. You don’t want to push through it. You don’t want to create more pain or a bigger problem. So, do it slowly and intently. Nice and easy, as everyone says—and as I always say in the office.
The other thing is, if you need to warm up your jaw with some warm, moist heat, that’s okay. Put it on there for five to 10 minutes just to get things warmed up. Those of you who have a jaw that locks up and really gives you a lot of pain know that sometimes this is the only way to get it to calm down.
So, if you’re going to do these exercises and it’s been hurting, put some moist heat on there for a little while to get the tissue warmed up.
More than anything, consistency is key. If you’re going to change your body, or if any physiological change is going to happen, it’s going to take consistency. It’s not going to happen in one day or one session. It’s going to happen over time. That’s how things are going to change for the better.
Exercise One: The Goldfish Exercise
The first exercise is called the goldfish exercise because you’re going to look like a fish a little bit when you do it.
You’re going to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and then you’re going to partially open your jaw. You’re going to do this 10 times, nice and slow, for two to three sets per day.
So, it would look like this: tongue on the roof, and partially open your jaw. You’re going to look weird to your friends, family, colleagues, and the person sitting in the car next to you at the stoplight.
What does that do? It helps correct the imbalance in the jaw and retrain these muscles to track together. That’s the goldfish exercise. That’s number one.
Exercise Two: Chin Tucks
Number two is chin tucks. One of the major drivers of TMJD, or jaw problems, is that your head is too far forward.
Everybody’s head moves forward as we age because we’re not taking care of it, and we’re on our phones and laptops all the time. You’re probably on your phone right now, and you’re probably staring down at this video. So, put your phone up in front of you.
We have to correct the posture. Remember, we need the head back on top of the shoulders if we don’t want this to return.
You start here. I call it the double-chin exercise sometimes. Let me give you an angle so you can see. You come straight back, hold for three seconds, and then rest. So, here, back, hold for three seconds.
Do 10 reps a couple of times a day. You can do it in your car. You can do it at the stoplight. You can even push into your seat to get a little extra bonus pressure.
That’s the second exercise. It’s going to help retrain the muscles to keep your head on top of your shoulders, keep stress off your jaw, and help your jaw hurt less.
Exercise Three: Resisted Mouth Opening
The third exercise is called resisted mouth opening. Again, like the first one, we’re going to retrain the muscles.
You’re going to apply some pressure to your chin or jaw, pushing up, and you’re going to open slowly—three Mississippi—and close—three Mississippi. While you’re adding the pressure, I’d say use maybe 25% of your strength.
It helps retrain those muscles to stay in balance and get them stronger. It’s called neuromuscular reeducation.
These are three things you can do at home. I would do roughly 10 of those, maybe once or twice a day. You’ve got those three exercises. When you start to add those in, you’re going to see some changes with your jaw.
Of course, if you need any further guidance or help, always feel free to come into our office. We’re here to help expedite the process, and we would love to help. It’s what we do.
