Jessica this is a troubling issue that many suffer from. I’m glad that you ask about TMJ.

TMJ stands for “temporal mandibular joint” It is a compound joint of the jaw that is used every time you chew or move your mouth. TMJ was coined as a problem long ago but insurance companies generally did not pay for any dental treatment because nothing worked well. However, there seems to be a greater number of people suffering with TMJ now than ever before so pressure to the insurance companies have improved some dental treatment options. But, dental treatment of TMJ is still problematic. It has been identified that various muscles of the jaw become inhibited and unbalanced. This is important! Muscles are passive in that a nerve must tell them what to do.

Secondly, jaw muscles are intertwined with the neck. For example, opening or closing your mouth with force, you will notice that your neck muscles are also active. This is just logical in that you would not be able to bite off any thing if you neck was not braced. This is the problem that most dentists have with TMJ. They believe that since the nerves for the jaw are cranial and not vertebral, the neck nerves are not involved. This is the farthest from the truth. As we just illustrated, the neck must be active with biting and of course it must hold up the head during the process.

As a Functional Medical doctor, I identify jaw movement patterns, opening capacity, joint crepitations, along with related neck problems in order to find ALL of the problems contributing to TMJ. A good case study would be a person who had tried more than one dentist to help with TMJ but was unsuccessful. She couldn’t bite or open her mouth more than 1 cm. She had to eat liquid food, could not smile and was in pain. Upon a thorough examination including jaw, spine, history and all related systems, I determined that everyone had missed a neck issue and they were not adjusting the jaw to correct for proper joint function. After treatment she had regained total jaw mobility with no more pain. She told me it we so nice to eat crunchy foods again and be able to smile. We treat with great success many with TMJ. In fact, my patients do not have TMJ. Remember, TMJ gets worse if not treated properly and the joint wears out over time.

Thanks for the great question.

Its always nice to be able to smile and eat crunchy food once in a while.

Dr Bob.

This is important Diana.

A “crick” in your neck or back is a term applied to neck or back problems that cause pain. It is an old English term used to describe a creek: a twisted line of running water. Basically, neck and back pain would cause someone to twist making their spine look like a creek or crick. Crick is just a slang term for creek. The word crick was also a definition generally used to describe wooden objects making sounds as the two surfaces interact abnormally. As you may know, wood has a tendency to “creek” as it ages and dries out. Sometimes your neck or back makes a sound when it is having problems, hence, back and neck problems with a sound became known as a “crick”. It is important to remember though, all wood eventually does this and is considered common and all creeks twist, but a “crick” in your neck is not common and certainly not normal and generally can be identified easily and treated easily.

However, a “crick” causing pain, loss of motion, head aches, blood pressure changes, warm feeling in your head or face, jaw problems or TMJ, tinnitus or hearing problems, digestive problems or any problem for that matter is never normal and should be investigated and treated so that long term problems can be avoided. However, many people let things go until these problems become diseases that threaten immediate deterioration. This is why so many big health problems seem to “just pop up out of no where”. This of course is not how the body works. All problems the body has can be functionally defined and treated affectively before deterioration pops up. You don’t have to get sicker to make medical tests positive.

Remember, people have been defining their health problems before definitions were understood. This is the main reason that so many people focus on symptoms instead of the functional issues causing the symptoms because no one knew how the body functioned. This is the very reason that traditional medicine and the use of drugs and surgery have become popular. Yes that’s right. It is because most people don’t know better and of course symptoms annoy everyone. We must remember though, symptoms are how the body notifies us of problems with its functioning. That is exactly why drugs have so many side effects and use of drugs make a health person sick. Simply getting rid of symptoms does not stop the reason that caused the problem in the first place!

We must pay attention to these signals. We also must begin to realize that drugs and surgery are not making people healthy because making symptoms disappear may seem like magic; we all know that magic is really only a trick.

Since we all have signs of how are bodies are functioning and that malfunctioning don’t always have symptoms, I use tests and lab work that can measure functional deficits even before symptoms occur. This way we are finding the problems causing the symptoms and then developing a plan to make you healthier. You don’t have to get sicker just to make a medical test valid.

This is why I practice Functional Medicine…so that patients can find issues before they become problems and address the whole body as a functional system. That is the definition of wellness.

So don’t get tricked about health or rely on a drug to make you well…it would be like being up a creek without a paddle.

Dr Bob.

Hi Kathy,

Cracking your joints is not bad but it is how you crack them that can cause harm. Lets look at an earlier post regarding this issue:

There are a lot of myths out there about popping your joints.

Basically the popping sounds that you hear are from gases that escape from the fluid in the joint when the joint capsule stretches as the joint reaches its endpoint. However a popping sound is not associated with an adjustment. An adjustment is a very specific application of a force to correct a problem. In fact, I adjust without popping and without pain because pressing a joint to end range to get a pop can cause pain and damage.

So the physiology behind the feeling you get is that as the gas is released there is a small drop in pressure. However if a popping sound occurs easily, there are a few reasons, 1) you have a high degree of flexibility and/or 2) you are forcing the joints. In all cases, the joint is moving to end range quite possibly causing damage. Now this damage may be very little but can accumulate over time and become degenerative joint disease later in life.

Our patients are treated to prevent this condition. In fact, Chiropractic is the only means to preserve your spine and joints. Drugs actually have the opposite effect by causing joint erosion.

However, a growing number are coming in for chiropractic care the first time in their life but they have waited years until their condition is very bad. Also, young people like pitchers and gymnasts who often experience significant injuries that last a life time because no one recommended proper preventative care from a biomechanical specialist. They are told to “walk it off” or just take a pain reliever and so proper treatment is avoided and the injuries continue.

I have over 16 years experience in specialized areas such as biomechanics, athletic performance and sports injuries. We have several programs for those who want to preserver their bodies and maintain the healthiest means possible as well as a full rehab facility to help out when injuries occur.

Remember, it is how that you crack your joints that can cause problems, not the cracking itself.
So generalized cracking of your joints may have you “popping” for a problem down the road!

Dr Bob.

Good question!

There are a lot of myths out there about popping your joints.

Basically the popping sounds that you hear are from gases that escape from the fluid in the joint when the joint capsule stretches as the joint reaches its endpoint. However a popping sound is not associated with an adjustment. An adjustment is a very specific application of a force to correct a problem. In fact, I adjust without popping and without pain because pressing a joint to end range to get a pop can cause pain and damage.

So the physiology behind the feeling you get is that as the gas is released there is a small drop in pressure. However if a popping sound occurs easily, there are a few reasons, 1) you have a high degree of flexibility and/or 2) you are forcing the joints. In all cases, the joint is moving to end range quite possibly causing damage. Now this damage may be very little but can accumulate over time and become degenerative joint disease later in life.

Our patients are treated to prevent this condition. In fact, Chiropractic is the only means to preserve your spine and joints. Drugs actually have the opposite effect by causing joint erosion.

However, a growing number are coming in for chiropractic care the first time in their life but they have waited years until their condition is very bad. Also, young people like pitchers and gymnasts who often experience significant injuries that last a life time because no one recommended proper preventative care from a biomechanical specialist. They are told to “walk it off” or just take a pain reliever and so proper treatment is avoided and the injuries continue.

I have over 16 years experience in specialized areas such as biomechanics, athletic performance and sports injuries. We have several programs for those who want to preserver their bodies and maintain the healthiest means possible as well as a full rehab facility to help out when injuries occur.

Remember, you can’t see your joints and exerting force on them may have you “popping” for a problem down the road!

Keep the good questions coming.

Dr Bob.