Is This Tmj, Fibro, Or Arthritis Related? Posted: 03-01-06 14:10pm
Hi everyone! In october of last year I
was diagnosed with early osteoarthritis
and fibromyalgia. For the past couple of
months i've been experiencing frequent and
fairly severe pain along my jawline,
around my ears, and down to the base of my
neck. On any given day, I usually feel
like someone is squeezing the sides of my
head together. It's a weird type of
headache - kind of like a migraine, but
not like a tension or sinus headache. My
jaw also cracks a lot while I eat, yawn,
talk, etc. (my dad experiences that too,
but he doesn't have pain with his).
I want to know if those are symptoms of
tmj or if they're a result of the
conditions i've already been diagnosed
with. If it's tmj, is there anything I
can do/take to help ease the pain until I
see my rheumatologist again? I can't seem
to find anything over the counter to
alleviate the head/ear aches, not even
migraine strength stuff. I'm already on
a very low dose of antidepressants to help
dull the pain I experience with
fibro/arthritis. I eat well, take a
multivitamin and an omega 3 supplement
every day, and exercise regularly.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! :)
nicole
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 03-02-06 23:11pm
Hi nicole,
your symptoms do seem to point towards tmj
and you might want to see a tmj
dentist/orthodontist/oral surgeon. No
one knows for sure, but fibromyalgia does
seem to be related somehow to tmj, and you
may have developed osteoarthritis in your
jaw joints. If possible, it would be a
good idea to have an mri of your tmjs.
It will show if it's the arthritis or
displaced disc or something else, which
then should point you and your doctor(s)
in a direction of treatment.
For now to help you with pain, add super
vitamin b12 complex, glucosamine, and
magnesium to your vitamin regiment. Use
lots of moist heat especially before bed.
Ice is also helpful for the
headaches/pain. Ibuprofen (600 to 800
mg) tends to be the best over the counter
pain reliever if you can take it but be
careful to take with food. A good
website to visit for general tmj
information, posture and exercise pictures
is nismat.Org/ptcor/tmj/
also, if you are taking an ssri
anti-depressant, there is a possibility it
may be causing you to grind and/or clench
your teeth at night which would either
aggravate your tmj or even cause the tmj
pain. I personally believe that these
anti-depressants are beneficial for pain
relief, but I recently added a small dose
of buspar to calm any clenching or
grinding I was doing because my tmj had
gotten worse. It does appear to be
helping.
I must point out that stress is the worst
enemy of tmj. Do anything you can to
reduce any stress in your life whether
that be through exercise, yoga, changing
jobs (like I did recently), therapeutic
massage regularly and/or medications,
etc.
If none of this helps, you definitely need
to see the tmj "specialist." a good bite
splint would be the next step.
I've only given you basic starting
information, but I know it's a lot to take
in. Tmj can be "cured" or managed but
you need to take control of your treatment
as there are so many "specialists" who are
not that good. You will find that tmj is
very misunderstood by almost everyone,
including the medical field. Do lots of
research, go to all the health/support
boards you can find, and always start with
conservative treatment methods. Don't
even listen to someone who mentions
surgery or anything irreversible. Make
sure that pain relief is a major goal and
when someone says they can "fix" the
problem, be very skeptical. Don't
hesitate to get 2nd and 3rd opinions.
I hope some of this information helps you.
Since you have osteoarthritis, I really
would start with the mri to find out if
that is the problem or the more common
muscular problem of displaced disc. Use
the home remedies to help control the pain
now, especially the moist heat (and
relieving stress).
I pray the best for you. Don't hesitate
to ask questions here, your doctors,
etc.
