Dry Needling for Treatment of TMJ

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction can cause an assortment of problems including pain in many areas including the joint, facial muscles, and the ear, as well as headaches, loss of jaw range of motion, tinnitus, and many others. Pain in the muscles is often caused by spasm. Many of us are familiar with TMJ by the popping sound we hear in our jaws as we chew.I can treat TMJ using several methods including adjustments and the cold laser. I can also treat TMJ with dry needling. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, dry needling is used to relax contracted muscles, improve blood and lymphatic circulation, and stimulate the stretch reflex in muscles. While needles are used in this treatment, dry needling IS NOT to be confused with acupuncture. The way it works is that a dry needle is inserted into areas of the muscles known as trigger points. Certain trigger points are associated with pain in certain parts of the body. The needle in the trigger point causes a contracted muscle to twitch, which disrupts the neurological feedback loop that keeps the muscle in the contracted state. This twitch causes the muscle spasm to release.By dry needling the contracted muscle (the lateral pterygoid muscle) that is causing the pain, it helps relieve the pain. A study published in 2012 looked at the treatment of TMJ pain with dry needling. In the study, 36 clients were treated after being referred for TMJ pain due to myofascial pain of the lateral pterygoid muscle.Each patient underwent three sessions of dry needling therapy directly to the muscle once a week for three weeks. Patient’s pain levels and ranges of motion were taken before treatment and two weeks, one month, two months, and six months after their treatment. Pain levels were reported on a scale of 0-10 and range of motion was measured in using an oral ruler. Two weeks after treatment, pain level means dropped from 8.45 to 2.25 and continued to drop until six months where they averaged1.95 out of 10! On the active range of motion side, mouth opening increased 1.5 times, lateral movement improved 6 times, and protrusion improved 6 times at the six-month point.In addition to the published study, I’ve seen positive results first-hand with my own patients. If you’d like more information on dry needling, just let me know.