Could it Be TMJ? My Back Hurts
Fascia is a type of connective tissue that covers nearly the entire inside of the body. It binds together muscles, organs, and other tissue in addition to contributing to the structural integrity (the shape) of the body. For exercisers, the type fascia that is the most important is the fascia that covers and binds together the muscles. This type of fascia is sometimes referred to as deep fascia. You can think of deep fascia as the skin of your muscles.
Fascia, like all connective tissue, grows in response to stress. If you prefer a certain posture, the resulting stress on the muscle, bone, and other soft tissue will eventually result in the growth of fascia to help the other tissues cope with the demand of holding a new posture. For example, if you happen to sit slouched over at your computer 8 hours a day while at work, eventually fascia will grow to help support this body posture, making it much easier for you to carry your caveman-like computer posture with you for whatever other activities you may engage in.
One fascia myth is that massage can “work out knots” in the fascia and eliminate these structural changes simply by rubbing these areas (think upper back/neck). Unfortunately changing fascial structure is not that simple. Just think about a neck and back rub; they feel great for a short period of time but the irritation will be back sooner or later. Recent research has found that fascia – once thought to simply be passive connective tissue (like a spider web) is actually innervated and has its own smooth muscle tissue (smooth muscle is a type of muscle that can not be voluntarily controlled). This means that the brain and the rest of the central nervous system is actually involuntarily controlling fascia through neural activity.
Patients with TMD usually have irritated jaw joints, which is similar to having a splinter in your foot. Whether due to a bad bite, a slipped disk, or trauma to the joints, the only way the body can take the pressure off the joints without consciously thinking about it is to change the head position. Try this simple exercise: Open your mouth, look up at the ceiling, then close your mouth and notice which teeth touch first. Next, open your mouth, look at the floor, and close your mouth and notice, which teeth touch first. For most people, it’s quite different, and one position is usually more comfortable than the other. Naturally, you can’t walk around all day looking at the ceiling or at the floor, but the body can figure out a way to change the bite while your head is level. By holding the head in a different position (usually forward), the bite changes just enough to take the pressure off the irritated jaw joint. In order to do this, however, the neck and shoulder muscles must be constantly contracted to keep the head from falling over. Better to have sore neck muscles than be unable to chew or talk.
The human head weighs about as much as a bowling ball. Imagine holding a bowling ball in the starting position, close to your body with your forearm straight up and down. You could probably hold the ball like this for quite a long time. Now imagine moving the ball about six inches away from your body. How long do you think it would take for your arm muscles to become sore or irritated? Of course, you could use your other arm to hold up the first one, but eventually the other arm would become tired as well. In fact, if you could hold the ball up long enough, your shoulders would start to hurt, your back muscles might cramp, and even your feet may become tired because of the awkward position of your body.
The important thing to remember is that fascia (and muscle) is innervated; it is controlled by the subconscious. If you want to make a change to your posture, some form of activity is necessary. Movement activates neurons; it is a direct pathway to communication with your brain. If your upper back and neck hurt when you are at the computer, try out this drill when you are lying in bed:
A dentist trained in TMD treatment that relieves the stress on the jaw joints has the potential to relieve most if not all of the above symptoms. If the symptoms have been long standing, however, other health care providers such as chiropractors, osteopathic physicians, physical therapists, and massage therapists may be needed for complete relief. And in certain cases, the “TMD symptoms” may not be due to the jaw joints at all. Back and neck disorders can also cause the same symptoms as TMD. In these cases, TMD treatment will be of limited benefit and your dentist may be able to refer you to the appropriate health care provider.
If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed in this article, it may be worth your while to have your dentist perform a TMD screening. I speak from personal experience; I suffered from lower back pain and numbness in the fingers for many years, potentially a career ending condition for a dentist. I never believed I had TMD because my jaw joints never hurt. With the proper diagnosis and treatment of my TMD, however, I have now been pain free for over two years, and continue to practice dentistry with no numbness in my fingers
Resource Author Francisco Rodriguez H.
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