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Sciatica
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Temporomandibular Joint DisorderThe temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint that connects your mandible (lower jaw) to your skull. The joint can be found on both sides of your head in front of your ears. It allows your jaw to open and close, letting you to speak and eat. The abbreviation “TMJ” has also been used to refer to a group of health conditions related to your jaw. However, this is becoming more commonly abbreviatedTrusted Source as “TMD” or “TMJD” to distinguish the temporomandibular joint itself from TMJ disorders. These disorders can cause: tenderness at the joint facial pain difficulty moving the joint According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial ResearchTrusted Source, as many as 10 million Americans suffer from TMJ disorders. They are more common among women than men. These disorders are treatable, but they have many different possible causes. This can make diagnosis difficult.
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Is Jaw or Facial Pain Affecting you Daily?According to the most recent research, more than 15% of Americans suffer from chronic facial pain, including jaw pain and headaches. What researchers have found is that most of these pains are due to a dysfunction of a person’s jaw, otherwise known as the TMJD. In fact, Dr. McLaughlin has recently had discussions with a local ENT who said he finds that at times in addition to facial pain, a person’s ear pain may be caused by TMJ dysfunction. What can you do about your jaw or facial pain? Dr. Julie McLaughlin has done extensive studies in working with patients with facial pain caused by TMJ Dysfunction. She has trained under Dr. Alex Vidan, a nationally known TMJD educator in the field and it is one of her primary specialties. In order to determine if you are a candidate for care, an examination must be performed on your jaw and spine. If you are a candidate for care following the initial examination, a treatment plan will be created to best fit your needs. Treatments for TMJD help to restore normal stability and function of the TMJ. By regaining this “normal” function, many facial pains can be relieved or eliminated.
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Why is a spinal examination needed when I may only have jaw pain?According to the Journal of Applied Oral Science, neck disorders are perpetuating factors for TMJD patients. Further, the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) recommends that a diagnosis of TMJD receive a clinical examination of the head and neck. Lastly, the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation recommends examination of the neck even without a neck complaint for individuals suffering from TMJD. As a Chiropractor the spine is a natural primary focus but the TMJ is close behind as TMJD is the second leading cause of musculoskeletal pain second only to lower back pain.
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Why Chiropractic for TMJD?The Journal of Oral Rehabilitation recommends examination of the cervical spine in TMJD patients, even without cervical complaints. These findings are supported by Cranio and Clinical Oral Investigation as well. At McLaughlin Care, we are trained to examine your neck and jaw to determine the best course of co-man-aged care with your oral health physician. The position of the head and neck are intricately connected. With proper care and treatment of spinal disorders, TMJD patients can achieve pain relief and correction. Treat-ments at McLaughlin Care enable the body to respond to dental changes so that care received from your oral health physician has greater results.
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What dietary modifications can help with TMJD?Dietary Modifications/Concerns: No gum, hard candy, apples must be sliced, no large sandwiches, no nuts, no chewing ice Choose softer foods for the initial phase of care, take small bites Decrease Stimulants – soda, coffee, tea, energy drinks, dietary supplements that have a thermogenic effect No red meat or wild game foods – instead eat fish or chicken At times a liquid diet is needed to allow the joint to rest and recover from the changes being made
How does Spinal Manipulation compare to having surgery on your spine in patients with lower back pain and sciatica? Check out this study. (You know Chiropractic wins!) Even patients with failed surgeries get relief from Spinal Manipulation! When experiencing any kind of musculoskeletal pain consider Chiropractic care first!!
#Chiropractic #chiropracticworks #chiropracticfirst
Managing sciatic pain can be broken down into surgical and non-surgical interventions. The first wave of treatment should be of a conservative nature. In a recent article by McMorland, Suter, Casha, du Plessis, and Hurlbert (2010), the authors stated, ''Nonoperative management has been demonstrated to be beneficial in more than 50% of patients with sciatica; however, there are no established guidelines for appropriate medical management strategies" (p. 576).
This study sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy in the conservative management of sciatic patients. Patients that "fail" conservative care for sciatica are generally referred for surgical intervention, particularly microdiscectomy. "Elective lumbar diskectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States, now exceeding 250,000 cases per year" (McMorland et al., 2010, p 576). Therefore, the information contained in this paper has significant implications for many patients. Interestingly, spinal manipulation is not generally considered in the conservative care paradigm with the authors stating, "Most studies define conventional nonoperative care as exercise, analgesics, and/or epidural injections without reference to active spinal manipulation. However, spinal manipulation for sciatica has been found to be related to positive patient and cost outcomes when compared to medical management" (McMorland et al., 2010, p. 576-577). "Most of the patients who were considered surgical candidates for the treatment of radiculopathy from LDH [lumbar disc herniation] improved with standardized spinal manipulative care to the same degree as those who had undergone surgery" (McMorland et al., 20 I 0, p. 583). The results of this study showed that spinal manipulative therapy should be considered as a part of the conservative management of patients with sciatica, especially in those patients that have failed other measures.
McMorland, G., Suter, E., Casha, S., du Plessis, S. J., & Hurlbert, R. J. (2010). Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A prospective randomized clinical study. Journal ofManipulative and Physiological Theapeutics, 33(8), 576-584.
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