Posted: February 21, 2013
Headaches are often annoying and debilitating. What is interesting is that many of our TMJ headache patients do not realize they are not alone. After all many have been to numerous medical specialists and have not had relief. Please note, that this is not inferring all headache pain is caused by TMJ issues. Some interesting facts: -3 of 4 Americans report suffering from moderate or severe headaches -214 million work days lost due to headache/pain in 2004 (probably higher now) -Cost society over $180 billion dollars in lost productivity We see a high number of patients for TMJ whose number one complaints are headaches. These are often masked in other cranio-cervical issues as well. For example, some patients complain of pain on top of the head or behind the eyes. TMJ could be causing some postural (cervical) issues in other muscles such as the Sternocleidomastoid muscle which runs from behind the ear to the clavicle. The pain in this neck muscle may be causing the referred pain on top of the head. However, the bad bite may have caused the postural alteration which then caused the headaches. 
Often trigger points can be found which help uncover this type of headache and the proper treatment for this. Janet Travell MD shows many of these referred trigger points in her book. Treating headaches and TMJ requires an understanding of much more than just the jaw joint itself. If you have any questions regarding Houston TMJ Treatment or TMJ Houston, please feel free to contact our office, Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF 713-668-2289
