Looking for those that have TMJ to help me understand it more

[mydogs]

Can someone with TMJ help explain what it feels like? What makes it worse and what makes it better?

My horse had an inflamed TMJ so I am hoping to know more about it so I can help him feel better more often.

I’ve noticed that he doesn’t do well with his poll up higher for longer periods of time and I’m wondering if it is related to his TMJ getting stiff and needing more breaks/stretches in between. I know my wrist that I broke can’t maintain a flexed position for long periods of time (ruined my violin hobby) so I’m thinking it might feel the same.

[Color_of_Light]

@mydogs

Can someone with TMJ help explain what it feels like? What makes it worse and what makes it better?

My horse had an inflamed TMJ so I am hoping to know more about it so I can help him feel better more often.

I’ve noticed that he doesn’t do well with his poll up higher for longer periods of time and I’m wondering if it is related to his TMJ getting stiff and needing more breaks/stretches in between. I know my wrist that I broke can’t maintain a flexed position for long periods of time (ruined my violin hobby) so I’m thinking it might feel the same.

I ended up with jaw problems after I had an accident that put my upper cervical spine out of alignment. If he can’t lift his poll and has jaw problems, this makes me think his pole, cervical spine and jaw need adjusting. Misalignment one place can cause inflammation in another. If his teeth are off, this can cause jaw problems and neck problems, since they are all connected. Or, if he has a cervical spine misalignment, that lead to the jaw problem, which could lead to teeth problems. Then the teeth start to grow incorrectly, and hold everything in the wrong position. Has he seen a horse chiro who specializes in cervical, atlas and jaw problems, and a good equine dentist?

[mydogs]

@Color of Light

I ended up with jaw problems after I had an accident that put my upper cervical spine out of alignment. If he can’t lift his poll and has jaw problems, this makes me think his pole, cervical spine and jaw need adjusting. Misalignment one place can cause inflammation in another. If his teeth are off, this can cause jaw problems and neck problems, since they are all connected. Or, if he has a cervical spine misalignment, that lead to the jaw problem, which could lead to teeth problems. Then the teeth start to grow incorrectly, and hold everything in the wrong position. Has he seen a horse chiro who specializes in cervical, atlas and jaw problems, and a good equine dentist?

Yup, those have all been addressed extensively and often. I even had his TMJ x-rayed and injected. Both his chiro & dentist have well knowledgeable about the TMJ area.
But, this may have been a problem for years before me so I don’t really know how extensive the issue is and he is an older horse.

[Color_of_Light]

@mydogs

Yup, those have all been addressed extensively and often. I even had his TMJ x-rayed and injected. Both his chiro & dentist have well knowledgeable about the TMJ area.
But, this may have been a problem for years before me so I don’t really know how extensive the issue is and he is an older horse.

Poor guy that this has been going on so long. He probably has inflammation and neuropathic pain. Like humans with TMJ, he might be clenching or grinding his teeth and he might have headaches, neck and back muscle spasms. Too bad you can’t give a horse Botox in his masseter and temporalis muscles like they do in humans. I’ve had Botox in my masseter and it helped fixed my jaw pain, which stopped a certain type of headache I was getting.

Acupuncture might be helpful for him. So might acupressure to release spasmed muscles, and also traditional massage. Have you tried oral and topical anti inflammatories, extra magnesium in his diet to help with never pain, muscle relaxants, MSM to promote healthy soft tissue? Other possibilities might be a tense unit, if he’d let you apply one. I wonder if laser therapy might work too?

[mydogs]

@Color of Light

Acupuncture might be helpful for him. So might acupressure to release spasmed muscles, and also traditional massage. Have you tried oral and topical anti inflammatories, extra magnesium in his diet to help with never pain, muscle relaxants, MSM to promote healthy soft tissue? Other possibilities might be a tense unit, if he’d let you apply one. I wonder if laser therapy might work too?

He gets acupuncture after each chiro and I have an acupressure mat too. I also use a TMJ wrap on his bridle and he has a sheepskin crown piece for his bridle to reduce rubs from the edge of the leather. I actually massage him myself quite often too.

He gets magnesium, joint supplement, and about 15g of MSM a day.

Surpass is on backorder so I am getting a generic from my vet tomorrow. But I put a magnesium cream or CetylM cream on his TMJ (he lovvesss this being massaged).

Someone at my barn has a laser unit so once she is trained, I hope to have her treat him more because he absolutely loved it too when she did a quick session on him.

I actually thought about a tens unit and have two at home that I bought to try for myself with the hopes of using it on him.

I had both side of his TMJ injected and the right side was inflamed but the left side wasn’t.

I don’t have TMJ or tension in my jaw so I don’t really understand how he feels. But I figured if I could understand it better, it might help me better gauge what to do with him next to keep him comfortable during our rides.

[Color_of_Light]

@mydogs

He gets acupuncture after each chiro and I have an acupressure mat too. I also use a TMJ wrap on his bridle and he has a sheepskin crown piece for his bridle to reduce rubs from the edge of the leather. I actually massage him myself quite often too.

He gets magnesium, joint supplement, and about 15g of MSM a day.

Surpass is on backorder so I am getting a generic from my vet tomorrow. But I put a magnesium cream or CetylM cream on his TMJ (he lovvesss this being massaged).

Someone at my barn has a laser unit so once she is trained, I hope to have her treat him more because he absolutely loved it too when she did a quick session on him.

I actually thought about a tens unit and have two at home that I bought to try for myself with the hopes of using it on him.

I had both side of his TMJ injected and the right side was inflamed but the left side wasn’t.

I don’t have TMJ or tension in my jaw so I don’t really understand how he feels. But I figured if I could understand it better, it might help me better gauge what to do with him next to keep him comfortable during our rides.

I wish every horse could have an owner like you! You are going all out for him and covering all angles. I would too. Have you xrayed his atlas and cervical spine, and mandibular condyles? It wasn’t until I got those xrays that we knew what we were dealing with, I was finally able to get the right treatments, and then the pain eventually stopped.

Another thought: trigger point injections into the spasmed muscles. Could be B12, prolotherapy. I’d also think that if platelet rich plasma is used elsewhere on a horse, why couldn’t be used in his TMJ’s?

[mydogs]

@Color of Light

I wish every horse could have an owner like you! You are going all out for him and covering all angles. I would too. Have you xrayed his atlas and cervical spine, and mandibular condyles? It wasn’t until I got those xrays that we knew what we were dealing with, I was finally able to get the right treatments, and then the pain eventually stopped.

Another thought: trigger point injections into the spasmed muscles. Could be B12, prolotherapy. I’d also think that if platelet rich plasma is used elsewhere on a horse, why couldn’t be used in his TMJ’s?

Aw, thanks I’ve done a lot of reading on the TMJ to understand it better and it actually amazes me how often the TMJ is ignored. My guy makes his opinion known when he is in pain & feels good, so it is pretty easy to determine if something does or does not work.

I haven’t thought about getting those x-rayed, but that may not be a bad idea. I went through a few weeks where his neck muscles were sore and tight, so I wonder if those are all linked.

[Equibrit]

I got TMJ when an orthodontist pulled a molar out in a very violent fashion. Was wearing a bite guard for years to alleviate the pain. One day I bent down as my dog greeted me, and he gave me a headbutt to the jaw. What a clever dog! He realigned my jaw.
I would say, get a good horse chiropractor and xrays. You might find that arthritic changes in his spine are forcing him to carry his head and jaw un-naturally.

[mydogs]

@Equibrit

I got TMJ when an orthodontist pulled a molar out in a very violent fashion. Was wearing a bite guard for years to alleviate the pain. One day I bent down as my dog greeted me, and he gave me a headbutt to the jaw. What a clever dog! He realigned my jaw.
I would say, get a good horse chiropractor and xrays. You might find that arthritic changes in his spine are forcing him to carry his head and jaw un-naturally.

Interesting thought about the spine. I had his TMJ xrayed and injected (chiro said his TMJ has never felt better and didn’t even have to adjust it last month). The right side had inflammation didn’t show any clinical signs on the xray of needing to be injected, but the left side did show signs of changes on the xray and wasn’t inflammed when injected (I did both sides).

Out of curiosity, what makes the pain from the TMJ worse and/or better for you?

[Equibrit]

I was unable to relax the jaw muscles, hence the bite guard at night. Once the dog clocked me, all was good!

[mydogs]

@Equibrit

I was unable to relax the jaw muscles, hence the bite guard at night. Once the dog clocked me, all was good!

Did anything help provide temporary relief that allowed you to relax?