The Latest in Pregnancy-Related Things: TMJ
For those of you who have not heard, I am doing fine, with one execption. I think I have some sort of pregnancy induced TMJ. It started right after Christmas. Of course, I did not know what it was then and it wasn’t all that painful in the beginning. Now the pain is a different story. I never would have believed how painful TMJ could be. I’ve never had a problem before now. I think it’s more than just coincidence that I am having problems now. Is this my punishment for skipping the morning sickness? Ugh, I can think of a million things I’d rather do than have TMJ. Oh well, I’ll get over it eventually. I just hope it doesn’t take another 20 weeks or so. Luckily my physical therapists have been trying to help me out with the pain. They’ve been massaging the outside and inside of my mouth trying to get everything to relax a little. I must say, that is a little weird. It’s like going to the dentist, only the person in your mouth doesn’t have any sharp pointy instruments and in a way, wants to cause you pain. No pain no gain, right? Anyway, last week was definitely very interesting at therapy.
I go to see my doctor on Wed. and I will have her look at it then. Maybe she can help out somehow. The jaw pain isn’t so bad, it’s the ear pain that is killing me. My ear hurts constantly and feels like a really bad earache. Unfortunately, we are pretty sure that is isn’t an infection, which means there is no easy fix for this. Looks like I’ll be working through some pain management skills early. This is defintely one physiology and anatomy lesson I will never forget, and hope to never have to repeat.
TMJ is a hard way to learn just how interconnected everything is. Before, I never thought about how my neck problems could affect my ear. I have learned so much about my body since I started physical therapy. Some of it is pretty scary. But I will not bore you with the details here. I realize that not everyone shares my love of biology 
January 8th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Ashley: Have you tried an ice pack on the affected side? When I’ve had bad TMJ flare-ups, that has helped me. [Heat simply exacerbated the problem. That was a baaaaaaad idea, let me tell you.]
January 8th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
When Pete suffered from a bout of TMJ, he was told by a physical therapist to warm a moist towel in the microwave and wrap it around the back of his neck. This seemed to work for him.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:52 am
I am experiencing the same thing right now, about 4 weeks ago I started having the symptoms of tmj for the first time, I’m wondering if this is some kind of hormonal pregnancy thing and will go away after the delivery, I am34 weeks pregnant, did anybody go through this
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 am
Try alternating heat and cold to the area, that should give you some relief from the pain, at least a little anyway. Have hope! My TMJ cleared up before I gave birth. I believe it was sometime in the third trimester, but I came down with it around 20 weeks or so. I have not had a problem with it since I gave birth and my little girl is now 10 months old. Hopefully it will clear up on its own in the next couple of weeks, or at the very least, after the birth.
Good luck! I hope this helps some. Hang in there, you’re almost done
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:21 am
Hi! TMJ? Throat Mouth and Jaw. i am pregnant and my jaw is really sore. can you hit me with that Biology lesson please. i would like to understand whats up!