What is TMD (temporomandibular disorder)?
For someone like me who loves all kinds of food and is an absolute chatter box jaw pain sounds like my biggest nightmare; and it is. My interest in temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) started when I got jaw pain and I didn't know what to do about it, and my dentist didn't either. For a joint that's so important to our daily life for communication, eating breathing etc (Nayak et al., 2022)…there isn't as much of a focus on it as there should be.
TMD is an unbrella term to explain pain related to the jaw; jaw clicking, jaw thitness, clenched jaw, jaw and ear pain are just the stars of the show (Al-Ani and Wilkie, 2026). Many people sufferes from one of the aforementioned symptoms (Nayak et al., 2022). Moreover, a lot of peole with neck na dhead pain can be linked back jaw issues (Delceoğlu et al., 2026).
Why the temporomandibular joint is unlike any other joint
The temporomandibular joint is one of the most unique joints in the body; unlike your shoulder where you can move the right and left side independent of each other, the jaw is not so. There is no real way where you can move the right side without directly affecting the left (Al-Ani and Wilkie, 2026). While this sounds quite intuitive, it has very important consequences on how temporomandibular joint disfunction comes on and how we treat it. Basically there is no way to treat the right jaw without the left and generally if there is an issue on one side there is a different one on the other. While one side could be more symptomatic than the other, there is likely a compensation happening affecting the other side. Therefore, when treating the jaw you need to take as much of a unique approach as the joint its self.
What are the symptoms of TMD?
Something else that makes the jaw unique is its proximity to a lot of sensitive structures around the head; so you might think that symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) are jaw pain and clicking, but that would be a groas understatement. Some other symptoms of TMD can be ringing in the ear, pain in sinuses, stuffiness in the ear and headaches Kalladka, Young and Khan, 2021) (Nayak et al., 2022) (Delceoğlu et al., 2026). Thus, if you experience jaw pain any any of those symptoms on the same side, they could be due to the jaw it's self rather than independent issues. However, this is not to undermine any other forms of medical issues that could be causing them; but this is to shed some light on other things that can be affect due to jaw pain…as if not ejoying a big burger wasn't enough of an inconvenience.
How is TMJ pain treated?
With that being said the jaw is a joint like all other joints and that's the light at the end of the tunnel. Pain in joints can be influenced and managed by activating the correct muscles on the proper sides and dealing with tension in others (Nayak et al., 2022) (Shen et al., 2025). Thus with good assessment and treatment there will be some long term improvement; If you would like to book in for a TMJ physiotherapy consautaltion you can find us here. While there, might be a lot of soup and mashed potatoes in the future but hey that's better than long term headaches and a clicking jaws.
Stay nerdy!
Mariam Aziz
References:
Al-Ani, Z. and Wilkie, G. D. (2026) 'The anatomy and clinical relevance of temporomandibular joint sounds', Primary Dental Journal, 14(4), pp. 62-67. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/20501684261445675
Delceoğlu, Ş., Safran, E. E., Şevgin, Ö. and Safran, E. (2026) 'Multiregional rehabilitation targeting the cervical and temporomandibular regions in chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled trial', Physiotherapy Research International, 31(2), e70216. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/pri.70216
Kalladka, M., Young, A. and Khan, J. (2021) 'Myofascial pain in temporomandibular disorders: Updates on etiopathogenesis and management', Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 28, pp. 104-113. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.07.015
Nayak, M. M., Shyam Krishnan, K., D'souza, M. C., Rao, S. S. and Makwana, V. R. (2022) 'Thermal ultrasound, manipulation and exercise on pain and mouth opening in Chronic temporomandibular joint disorder', Physiotherapy Research International, 27(2), e1934. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/pri.1934
Shen, Y., Li, X., Feng, X., Zhang, C., Shang, Y. and Lin, J. (2025) 'The effects of masseter muscle morphology on three-dimensional occlusion and temporomandibular joint in adult patients with skeletal class II malocclusion: a CBCT study', BMC Oral Health, 25(1), 1296. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06674-
Sicilia, L., Miranda, G. H. N., Fattori, L., Furquim, B. D. and Normando, D. (2026) 'Impact of clear aligners on the temporomandibular joint: A systematic review', Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research, 29(2), pp. 209-224. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ocr.70094
