#195 TMD and Neck Pain

Neck pain is the second most common symptom associated with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).  Neck pain originating from chronic inflammation in the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) can and has been misdiagnosed as neck pain from cervical disc displacement or compression.  I cannot say how often it is misdiagnosed as cervical disc problems, but I have seen several patients who had cervical disc surgery with persistent neck pain post-surgery which diminished when their TMD was treated.   

The best way to decrease chronic inflammation within the TMJ is to unload the joint which allows the inflammation to decrease.  As inflammation decreases, the symptoms, and in this case, the neck pains diminish. 

The most useful tool to diminish the chronic inflammation within the TMJ is the Urbanek Device and Protocol which has FDA clearance and successfully validated by an independent Middle Tennessee State University Study based on 3000 patients treated in our practice.  The Urbanek device is patented and currently used under license by dentists in 20 states. 

This mechanism is well known to the orthopedic surgeons who treat all the other joints in the body with the exception of the TMJ. 

Chronic inflammation in the TMJ stimulates the sympathetic fibers of the autonomic nervous system to travel to the brain and stimulates the trigeminal nuclei in the reticular formation of the brain stem to identify the joint as damaged and needs help.  The brain then sends signals to the muscles of mastication and if necessary, the neck muscles to tighten and hold the joint motionless.  This stimulates the pain receptors where the muscles are attached which then registers as neck pain.