I've got TMJ disorder, and was doing physical therapy for it for a while. I don't grind or clench my teeth at night so mine was caused by other things, including gum-chewing, tough-food chewing, jaw adjustment (from braces), and bad posture. If you have bad posture then that can contribute to it more than you know. You put a lot of stress on the jaw joint if you are slumped over or if your neck muscles get tight. You'd be amazed at how interconnected everything in your body is. Mine started to get better after I started on working on my posture while sitting at my desk and standing/walking.
Good sitting posture includes the following:
knees bent at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor and about two fingers-length distance between the underside of your knees and the edge of the chair (this is where chair back supports come in handy)
90 degree angle between your lap and your back
shoulders pushed back (no slumping)
head sitting on the back of your neck (not pushed forward)
jaw parallel to the floor
lower arms parallel to the floor and elbows at 90 degrees while you type (this is where keyboard trays come in handy)
The posture, if you're not used to it, can take a while to get used to, but it will do you a world of good in the long run (in so many ways other than just including jaw stress) if you work at it. My physical therapist recommended taking breaks from long bouts of sitting to help out with it (i.e. a few minutes every hour) and doing back, chest and neck stretches a few times a day. It also helps if you work on strengthening your upper back muscles.
Anyway, hope you get feeling better!
Good sitting posture includes the following:
knees bent at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor and about two fingers-length distance between the underside of your knees and the edge of the chair (this is where chair back supports come in handy)
90 degree angle between your lap and your back
shoulders pushed back (no slumping)
head sitting on the back of your neck (not pushed forward)
jaw parallel to the floor
lower arms parallel to the floor and elbows at 90 degrees while you type (this is where keyboard trays come in handy)
The posture, if you're not used to it, can take a while to get used to, but it will do you a world of good in the long run (in so many ways other than just including jaw stress) if you work at it. My physical therapist recommended taking breaks from long bouts of sitting to help out with it (i.e. a few minutes every hour) and doing back, chest and neck stretches a few times a day. It also helps if you work on strengthening your upper back muscles.
Anyway, hope you get feeling better!
, Or I did grind. I do it less and less often nowadays. Don't know why...
