Physiotherapy for TMJ Disorders in Tirana, Albania

TMJ disorders are caused by a number of different factors, starting from injury up to jaw joint problems or surrounding tissues. Usually, a number of causes could be genetic, hormonal, or environmental. Some of the most common causes are:

• Clenching – clenching teeth or even biting on strong objects can easily cause pain, because of the continuous pounding on the jaw. 
• Bruxism – Bruxism has to do with grinding teeth, which can result in gum inflammation and muscle spasm.
• Arthritis – Your jaw joint is prone to arthritis and the two conditions which can lead to TMJ disorders are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Dental issues – Dental issues have to do with new fillings or dentures, which cause uneven bites. 
• Trauma – Trauma includes the misalignment of your teeth, because of an accident that has hammered your temporomandibular joint. 
• Posture – Your head posture can many times increase the stress on your neck and also affect the position of TMJ by dragging the lower jaw forward. 

TMJ dysfunction can cause a lot of pain and discomfort when you do not treat it as soon as possible and it can affect not only one but both sides of your face. It is shown that as a disorder, it catches more women than men and it is common for certain ages, between 20 and 40 years of age. Usually, the dysfunction comes from the tightness of your muscles and it is mostly seen on two muscles, which are the masseter and the temporalis. However, some of the symptoms of TMJ dysfunction include: 

• Headaches/migraine. 
• Earaches that might spread to the face.
• Difficulty chewing or uncomfortable bite.
• Tooth pain.
• Swelling on the side of your face. 
• The difficulty of opening your mouth wide.
• The feeling of being tired.
• Shoulder/neck pain. 
• Misalignment of the upper and lower jaw.
• Stiffness in your jaw muscles.
• Clicking, popping or grating sounds in the joint.
• Dizziness. 
• Restricted movement.

In order to treat TMJ dysfunction, you firstly need to understand the cause of the problem and explain it to your physiotherapist, together with the symptoms you are having. Since this is a disorder that includes your mouth and jaw, your physiotherapist might as well consult with your dentist, the moment that they are planning on your possible treatment. Physiotherapy in this kind of disorder is used to help you improve TMJ movement and its function. As a treatment, it does not only focus on TMJ but also on the other body parts that are affecting the issue. 

Your physiotherapist will first decide if your jaw muscles are tightened or not and then he/she will start performing gentle soft tissue massage or intramuscular stimulation (IMS). IMS is a treatment performed with needles, in order to release trigger points in the affected muscles. Many times, outer massage and stretching do not affect if the tight muscles are deep enough and that is why IMS is helpful in these cases. This happens, as when your therapist uses physical traction of the jawbone integrated with soft joint glides in certain directions, it is very helpful to restore the right alignment of the TMJ disc. 

Fisiocenter is an experienced team, whose aim is to provide patients with the treatment necessary to make it easier to recover from their condition. We offer you exceptional services to get you back to work, sport, and your everyday life as soon as possible. Our aim is to present you with personalized care and assist you to achieve long-lasting results, without having these conditions appear in your life again. Our well-experienced and hardworking team is here for you to work with you and help you achieve your goals and return to your old self very fast, if not better! 

We aim to assess the nature of your injuries and put to use a combination of intensive hands-on physiotherapy. We make sure you gain the fastest and most successful recovery possible while restricting the risk of other complications or repeating the injuries you have. Always depending on the type of injury you have, we use therapeutic methods combined with our latest equipment, in order to create the best treatment option available for you. We believe that our treating options, together with our relaxing environment and friendly team, can guarantee you the best care possible and lead you to a positive outcome. Our highly skilled therapists can assure you of a variety of services, which can help with your recovery, so make sure to contact us as soon as possible and start your recovery program with the greatest physiotherapy clinic in Tirana.