NATURAL WAYS TO STOP TMJ CLICKING, GRINDING

AND PAIN

DR. JASON NITZSCHE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 2

TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDER OVERVIEW 3

THE HEAD, NECK AND JAW 5 The Head and Spine 5 The Upper Cervical Spine 5 The3Highways:Nerveflow,Bloodflow,CSFflow 6 IMPROVING TMJ FUNCTION 8 Evaluation11 ReportandInitalCorrection11 Follow-up 12

CONCLUSION 13 TMJRelatedResearch 14

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Thankyoufordownloadingthise-book.Itismyhopethatyouwilldiscoverpracticalandactionableinformationtohelpyoufindhopeandhealing.MynameisDr.JasonNitzsche,andIhavebeenhelpingpeoplewithtemporomandibularjointdisorders(TMJ)findnaturalanddrug-freereliefformanyyears. MostpeoplecannotappreciatethedevastatingimpactofTMJ.Temporomandibularjointdisordersdisrupteveryaspectoflifeoftencausingpainwithanymouthmovementincludingeating,talking,yawningandmore.

Manypeoplewhohavesomeformofillnessorchronicpainthathasplaguedthemforyearshavehadnumerousdoctors’visitsandpromises,oftenwithoutlong-termresults.Unfortunately,thereisnomagicpotionorpillthatwillsimplyhealyou.Therealizationofthishasledmanypeopletoourdoor.

Theprocessofgettingwellrequiresadoctorthatiswillingtogettothecauseoftheillnessand/orpainandnotjustmasktheproblemwithmeds;adoctorthatunderstandshowtoreverseyearsofdegeneration;andlastly,adoctorthatcancreateasuccessplanincorporatingALLofthefundamentalfacetsofhealthcare,notjustone.TRUEhealinghasoccurredwhenyougetyourbodybacktotheplaceitoncewas(ormaybeevenbetter)beforeyouacquiredthetroublesyouhavetoday!Yes,thatispossiblebutittakeshardworkandconsistency.

Thefundamentalsofuppercervicalcarere–empowerthenervoussystemsothatyoucanhealproperly.Itistrulya“miracle”systemwhendonetoitsfullestpotentialbutitisnotenoughtocreatefullhealth.Fullhealthrequirestheadoptionofaproactivehealthcaremodel;doingwhatittakestogethealthyandstayhealthy,notjusttreatingsymptoms.Thisincludesanervoussystemfreeofinterference,goodnutrition,regularexerciseandplentyofrest.Thisrecipewillremovetheobstacleof“nohope”.ItisasuccesssystemthathealstheONLYeffectiveway...fromthe“insideout”.Thisiswhatwewillbegintoexploreinthise-book.

Thise-bookisforeducationalpurposesonly.Beforebeginninganewdietorexerciseroutine,pleaseconsultaphysician.Thisbookmaynotbereproducedinanypartwithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionoftheauthor.

INTRODUCTION

Thelowerjawisconnectedtotheskullbythetemporomandibularjoints(TMJ)whicharelocatedinfrontofeachear.Thesearecomplicatedjointswhichallowthelowerjawtoopen,close,slideandrotate.Onanaverage,theTMJisusedover5000timeseachdaywhenwechew,swallow,yawn,smile,laugh,eatandspeak! Ifyouhaveevernoticedaclickingsoundwhenyouchew–thenyouarelikelyexperiencingsymptomsofTMJ.Surprisingly,alargenumberoftheadultpopulationisaffectedbythis–anywherebetween20-30%,usuallythosebetweentheagesof20and40.Itismorecommonforwomentosufferfromthisthanmen.

TMJpainismainlycausedduetodamagetothejointitself.Themostcommoncauseistraumatothejaworupperneck,whichleadstoimmensepainanddysfunctioneitherimmediatelyaftertheinjuryorsometimelater.Headandneckinjuriesincludingsportsinjuries,caraccidents,anddentalworkmaybethereasonforthetraumaandresultingTMJdisorder.Otherthingslikeexcessivegumchewing,teethclenching,nailbiting,consistentlyholdingaphonebetweenyourshoulderandthesideoftheheadandotherrepetitivetraumaarepotentialthreatsaswell.TMJcanaffectoneorbothjointsandthesymptomscanvaryfrommildtosevereandfrompersontoperson.

SignsofTMJinclude:

• Clicking,grinding,poppingorothernoisesinthejoint• Painwithorwithoutchewing• Lockingofthejaw• Toothache• Facialand/orneckpain• Headaches• Earaches• Tinnitus(ringingintheears)• Cloggedorstuffyear

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TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINTDISORDEROVERVIEW

Thesesymptomsarefrequentlycausedbythejointbeingoutofalignmentandcanbearesultofmusclefibrousbands(scarliketissues)inthejawmusclesthatcanoccurduetoteethclenchingorgrindingandpoorpostureaswell.Thesymptomscomeaboutwhenmusclestenseupcausingtheskullandlowerjawtopullclosertogetherandendupmisaligned,puttingpressureonthejoint,tearingorstretchingligamentsandcompressingthediscwhichpullsitoutofposition(acommonoccurrenceinwhiplashinjuries).Insomecasesthisleadstojointdegeneration,whenthediscwearsaway,causingthebonestorubagainstandirritatethenerves.

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THEHEAD,NECKANDJAWInordertounderstandtemporomandibularjointdisorders,onehastounderstandwherethejawlives:theheadandneck.

Theheadandspinearecomposedof55differentbones,whichhouseandprotectthebrainandspinalcord.

Thereare22bonesinthefaceandskull.2ofthosebonesarecalledthetemporalisandmandible.These2bonescometogethertoformthetemporomandibularjointa.k.a.TMJ.

Thereare33bonyringsinthespinecalledvertebrae.Thereisalargeholeatthebaseoftheskull(foramenmagnum)thatalignswiththeringsoftheuppernecktocreateanarmoredtunnelaroundthelowerbrain(brainstem)andspinalcord.

ThejunctionbetweentheheadandspineiscalledtheUpperCervicalSpine(alsoknownastheCraniocervicalJunction,ortheOccipitoatlantoaxialJointComplex).

The Head and Spine

TheTMJiscloselyconnectedtotheuppercervicalspine(upperneck).Thejunctionbetweentheheadandspineisacomplexsystemmadeupofthebaseoftheheadandthefirsttwovertebraeoftheneck,orcervicalspine.

ThefirstvertebraiscalledtheAtlasBone.Thisisaring-likeboneweighinganaverageof2oz.ItisnamedafterthemythicgodAtlas,whohelduptheworldonhisshoulders.

The Upper Cervical Spine

Likewise,theAtlasboneholdstheweightofthehead,andactsasagate-keeperforallofthestructuresandfluidswhichtravelinandout. ThesecondvertebraiscalledtheAxisBone,andisanotherkeyvertebra.Theaxisallowsextraordinarymovementoftheheadandneck,whileanchoringmanyimportantmusclesandligamentssupportingthehead.

Theuppercervicalspineisunique,inthatitisthemostmoveablepartofthespine,themostneurologicallysensitivepartofthespine,andyetthemostvulnerabletoinjury.Smallinjuriestothisareacanaffectthesensitivestructurestravelingtoandfromthebrain.Injuriesherecanalsohavedramaticimpactsontheheadandneckalignmentandpostureoftherestofthespine.

Therearethreemaintypesofcommunicationbetweentheheadandthespine.Thesehighwaysareinterconnected,anddisruptionstoonemayaffecttheothers. Nerveflow:nervesconductelectricalmessagestoandfromthebrainandspinalcord.Nervesareorganizedmuchlikeatree.Themajorityofnerveflowtravelsthroughthe“trunk”orspinalcord.Fromthere,nerves“branch”outtotherestofthetissuesintheheadandneck.

MovementoftheleftandrightTMJsmustbecoordinated,workingatthesametimeforthejawtomoveproperly.Thismovementisorchestratedbyacomplexsetofmusclesthataredirectlycontrolledbythebody’snervoussystem,specificallybranchesofthetrigeminalnerve,whichisoneofthemostcomplexandpowerfulnervesinthebody.Itfeedssensationandfunctiontoone’sjaws,face,tongue,sinus,palate,eyes,teeth,andlips.Sincethetrigeminalnervefeedsthejaw,itiscloselyassociatedwiththefunctionoftheTMJandiscriticalinthedevelopmentofTMJpain.

The3Highways:Nerveflow,Bloodflow,CSFflow

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ThereisadelicateworkingrelationshipbetweentheTMJ,themusclesthatmovethejaw,andthenervesthatcontrolthesemuscles.Therefore,healthyfunctionoftheTMJsystemrequiresnormalstructureandfunctionofboththetemporomandibularjointsandthetrigeminalnerve.Trigeminalnerveoriginatesintheneck.TrigeminalneuralgiaandotherfacialpainissometimesassociatedwithTMJ.Trigeminalneuralgiaisextremepainintheface.

BloodFlow:therearetwomajorroadsintothehead,andonemajorroadout.TheCarotidArteriescarrybloodintothefrontofthebrain,andtheVertebralArteriescarrybloodintothebackofthebrain.TheJugularVeinsarethemainvesselsthatcarrybloodoutofthebrain,backtothebody.

CSFFlow:Cerebrospinalfluidcirculateswithinandaroundthebrainandspinalcord,protectingitfrominjuryandcirculatingimportantchemicals.ProperCSFflowisnecessaryforproperbrainfunction.

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OneoftheprimarycausesofTMJistrauma(motorvehicleaccidents,sportsinjuries,dentalwork,etc.).Restorationofnormaltemporomandibularjoint(TMJ)functionmustbemadevianormalizationofneurologicalcontroloverthemusclesthatgoverntheTMJ.Abnormalneuralinputfromthecentralnervoussystemduetouppercervicaljointdysfunction(fromtraumaticinjury)canresultinabnormalTMJmusclecoordination.Followingthetraumatotheuppercervicalspineandtemporomandibularjoint,symptomscanbetriggeredimmediatelyorcantakemonthsoryearstodevelop.

Itisimportanttoreversethetrauma-inducedupperneckinjury;therebyreducingirritationtothenervesinthebrainstemandspinalcordthatcontrolneuromuscularfunctioninthefaceandjaw.WhilemanyTMJsufferersrecallspecifictraumassuchasheadinjuries,autoaccidentsorfalls,somedonot.Anevaluationisnecessaryineachindividual’scasetoassesswhetheranuppercervicalinjuryispresentandwhetherbenefitfromuppercervicalcarecanbeachieved.

TheAtlasvertebra,alsoknownasC1isthetopboneinthespine.Thisisthebonewheretheheavyheadrests.ThejointbetweentheAtlasandtheskullcanfrequentlybecomedamagedandmisalignedduetoheadandneckinjuries.Oncethepositionofthisupperneckandskullareahasbeenalteredcompensationswilldevelopbothbelowandabovethearea.

AbovetheAtlasmisalignment,theTMJwillfrequentlybeaffected.Astheheadtiltstoonesidemorepressurewillbeappliedtoonesideofthejaw.Thelongerthismisalignmentistherethemorelikelytherewillbefacialasymmetry,painandothersymptoms.

Belowthearea,themusclesaroundtheshoulderswillbegintopullunevenlyleadingtoatiltingoftheshouldergirdle.Frequently,you’llbeabletovisualizethiswhenyoulookinthemirror.Oneshoulderwillbenoticeablyhigherthantheother.

IMPROVINGTMJFUNCTION

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Continuingdownthespinethemuscleswillcontinuetobeimbalancedasaresultofthemisalignmentintheupperneckandthechangeintheheadposition.

Thiswillleadtoasimilartiltingofthehippositionleadingtounevenhips.Andeventuallyachangeinweightdistributionwheremoreoftheweightwillbeononeleg,frequentlyleadingtounevenwearpatternsontheshoes.

Asmallgroupofclinicalresearchers,biophysicists,PhDs,andspecializedchiropractorshavefocusedonunderstandingthechangesassociatedwithchangestotheheadandneckinthosesufferingwithtemporomandibularjointdisordersandcorrectingthem. Usingthelatestinimagingtechnology,physics,andbiomechanics,auniquetechniquehasbeendevelopedtodetect,andcorrect,changestotheheadandneckresponsibleforalteredheadandneckpostureandtrigeminalnervefunction. ThetechniqueiscalledUpperCervicalCare.Itisexceptionallysafe,gentle,andnon-invasive.Itdoesnotseektotreattemporomandibularjointdisorders,ratherfocusesonrestoringhead,neckandbodyposture,toimprovenervefunctionandrestoreproperalignmentofthejawjoints.However,theresultshavebeenoverwhelminglypositive.

Researchhasshownagreaterthan85%improvementinthosesufferingwithTMJfollowingUpperCervicalCare.TheUpper

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Cervicalapproachinvolvesrebalancingthepositionofthehead,theneckandasaconsequence,thejaw.UpperCervicalcareissafe,gentle,preciseandextremelyeffective.

WhileTMJcanhavenumerouscauses,themostcommonissomekindoftraumatothejawitselfortotheupperneck.Thisisbecauseaninjuryintheupperneckarea(thetwouppermostvertebraethatarerightatthebaseofthebrain)canputpressureonthetrigeminalnerveandalsoaffectposture.Whenthisnervesuffersdamagevarioustemporomandibularjointdisorderscanresult.

Inaddition,softtissuebasedtreatmentsthatincludemyofascialreleasetechniquesmightalsobeincorporated.Thistissuebasedtherapyhasbeenproventobreakupscartissuesandadhesionsonthesurroundingligamentsandmuscle.

Owingtothecomplexitiesandthecomplexinterconnectionofthetemporalmandibularjointsandthejointsoftheuppercervicalspineandskull,collaborativeeffortswithneuromusculardentistsanduppercervicalchiropractorscandramaticallyincreasethepercentageandpredictabilityofpositiveoutcomesinthetreatmentofTMJdisorders.Sincebotharelinkedtotrauma,headaches,dizziness,fatigue,face,neckandshoulderpain,TemporomandibularJointDysfunctionandUpperCervicalSubluxation,havemuchincommon.

Withthecraniumcomprising50%ofthetemporomandibularjoint,restoredcranialbalancecanbeakeycomponenttorestoredTMJbiomechanics;therefore,tocompletelyassessthecraniomandibularjoint,thecranialcervicaljunctionshouldalsobeassessed.Conversely,temporomandibularjointdysfunctionmaypreventtheuppercervicalspinefromstabilizingunderuppercervicalcareandthecycleofpainanddysfunctionpersists.

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Evaluation

TMJsufferersundergoanon-invasiveevaluation.Theevaluationisdesignedtounderstandyouruniquestory,determinethepresenceofanASC(AtlasSubluxationComplex),andcreatea3Dimageofyourheadandneck.

Composite 3D X-rays

MuchlikeaGPSimageonyouriphonecangiveyoupinpointaccuracyinyourlocation;composite3Ddigitalx-rayscannowgivepreciseinformationaboutthepositioningoftheheadandneckfollowingatrauma.Theabilitytomeasureanddetectchangestothehousingaroundthebrainandspinalcordfollowingatraumacangivelife-changinginsighttoaTMJcase,evendecadesaftertheinitialtrauma.

ThecomplexrelationshipbetweentheheadandneckfollowingatraumahasbeenlabeledtheAtlasSubluxationComplex(orASC).Injuriescancauseover10,000differentvariationsofheadandneckdisplacement,leadingtoalteredphysiologicalfunction.

Studieshaveshownthatchangesassmallas½amillimeterbetweentheheadandneckcanalterthebrain’sabilitytoadapttotheenvironment,changestopostureleadingtoincreasedsusceptibilitytoTMJandassociatedsymptoms.

Report and Initial Correction

Theresultsarediscussed,andcalculationsareperformedtodetermineacustomcorrectionofthejunctionbetweentheheadandneck.

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Follow-up

Thecorrectionisanextremelylightandgentleadjustmentthatfeelsmuchlikeadoctortakingsomeone’spulseonthesideoftheneck.Thecorrectionissogentle,itissafelyperformedoninfantsandbabies.

Composite3DX-raysareretakentoensureapropercorrectionhasbeenperformed.Theindividualoftendoesnotfeelachangeimmediatelyfollowingthefirstcorrection.

Theindividualoftenreturnsduringaninitial12-weekperiodtoassessforpropercorrection,monitortissuehealing,andmeasuretheprogressofthesymptoms.

Unlikedrugsandmedications,theuppercervicaltechniquedoesnottreatorsuppressthesymptomsassociatedwithTMJ.Theuppercervicalprocedureisdesignedtoimprovethebiomechanicsofthehousingaroundthebrainandspinalcord:theheadandneck.

Theimprovedbiomechanicsoftenimprovestheadaptabilityofthebrainandspinalcord,andindividualsoftenshowdramaticimprovementintheirsymptoms.

Wehaveseenover85%improvementinthefrequencyandseverityofTMJsymptomsthroughuppercervicalcare.TheclinicalsoworkswithintegrativeprofessionalsincludingNeuromuscularDentists,Neuroopthamologists,andCraniosacralTherapistsformorecomplicatedTMJcases.

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CONCLUSIONTMJcanbeasourceofimmenseanxietyinyourlife.Itisextremelydifficulttolivewithpainorothersymptomseverytimeyoumoveyourjaw.AfterreadingthiseBook,youshouldbeabletodeterminepossibletriggersthatresultinaTMJdysfunction. Whileeliminatingtriggerscanbeimportantitismuchmoreimportanttoaddresstheunderlyingcauseofthecondition.Anuppercervicalcorrectiveprocedureisfocusedoncorrectingacommonunderlyingcauseoftemporomandibularjointdisorders.Whenproperpostureandalignmentisrestoredtothehead,neckandjawasaresultofanupperneckcorrectiveprocedure,manyofthetriggerswillceasetoaffectyou.

Thankyouforreadingthise-bookandifyouwouldliketospeakwithmepersonallyinmyCalgaryofficeaboutyourTMJcall407-578-2225orjustclickthebuttonbelow:

BeWell, Dr.JasonNitzsche ClinicDirector OrlandoSpineCenter http://www.gentlespinecare.com/ 407-578-2225

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