for Jaw Pain & TMJ
Mary Loveless, LMT, PTA, C.Ped
May – June 2025 • Vol 4, No 16
TMJ is short for Temporo-mandibular Disorder. It refers to a variety of conditions that affect TM joints, jaw muscles and facial nerves. TMJ may occur when the jaw twists during opening, closing, or side-motion movements, and can show up as jaw pain, popping jaw, etc. For some, they can’t chew their food well or chew gum at all. Dental work can be an excruciating event just to keep their mouth open. Does this sound familiar to you?
Traditional treatments usually consist of dental devices, shaving molars down to align the jaw, cortisone injections, killing the nerve, physical therapy, etc. At our Myofascial Release Treatment Center in Great Falls, I get calls all the time asking, “Do you treat TMJ?” “Yes, I do.” “What do you do differently?”
I tell them that I first start by assessing the whole body and look for the root problem (the contributing factor). I only use the MFR approach that John F. Barnes PT, LMT teaches. He has been teaching across the country for over 50 years.
I have yet to find one person whose TMJ started at the jaw only. As I review their history, it becomes clear that this condition is reflective of what I see in their whole-body assessment. I can even show them with a mirror what I see in their posture. I also review anatomy with them. Then I treat the restricted, out-of-balance areas. It’s usually their hips and pubic area, their iliopsoas, and often it’s in the low back, shoulders, and neck.
I then show them how to follow up with a home program. After 3 or 4 sessions, they are amazed at how much better their jaw feels—and I haven’t even treated their jaw directly yet, but I surely treat their jaw indirectly. As their guarding and pain decreases, I see the sparkle return to their eyes, along with HOPE. (Anyone who suffers from TMJ disorder KNOWS how painful it can be!) Soon they are ready for direct, soft-tissue release work of the jaw area. After a few more sessions, they feel confident in treating themselves as needed.
If you only treat the jaw and ignore the contributing factors, the TMJ symptoms will eventually return. By holistically treating the body, we go to the source of the original imbalance. We’re treating the mind, the body, and the consciousness!
Mary Loveless, LMT, PDA, C.Ped, is a practitioner of the John F. Barnes Approach to Myofascial Release. To find an MFR therapist near you, visit: MyofascialRelease.com, or visit the offices in Great Falls or Florence, MT.
Back in Motion • Great Falls, MT • 612 1st Avenue South • (406) 750-2655
Eastside Physical Therapy & Body Restoration • Florence, MT • 5501 Hwy 93 N • (406) 777-2679