Head Neck and Jaw Physiotherapy Ottawa: Why You Should Seek Treatment for Your Head, Neck or Jaw.
Many people don’t address these symptoms until it is too late. It is important to find a professional who understands how these three areas interact with each other as they will be able to provide treatment for your specific problem and help you get back to your normal life as soon as possible.
Here at Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic, our chiropractors and physiotherapists are able to treat the muscle and joint issues related to the head, neck and jaw.
The head, neck and jaw are all connected to each other. When they are not functioning properly, it can result in pain or dysfunction in one or more of these areas.
It is crucial that you seek treatment if you have been experiencing headaches, neck pain, neck stiffness, difficulty chewing, difficulty swallowing, jaw pain, jaw clicking, or difficulty breathing through your nose or mouth.
The connection between the head, neck and jaw
Anytime an injury occurs to one of these three areas, problems arise in the biomechanics of the head, neck and jaw. Chiropractors and physiotherapists are manual therapists who are experts at correcting these biomechanical issues. You’ll notice often that pain medications do help mask the pain but they do not fix the main cause of the problem. A biomechanical injury needs a manual solution.
If you’re in Ottawa and looking for treatment, contact us today.
Symptoms related to Head, Neck and Jaws Injuries
When the biomechanical balance between the head, neck and jaw becomes erroneous, these areas start to get strained in order to continue functioning. Overuse of muscle and irritation of the joints will cause very painful and uncomfortable signs and symptoms such as:
- Difficulty breathing through your nose or mouth
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing
- Jaw clicking
- Neck stiffness and limited range of motion
- Jaw clicking
- Headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Vertigo
- Tinnitus
- Difficulty opening and closing the jaw
- Facial pain
Who is most likely to experience a head, neck or jaw problem?
People with a history of injury, surgery, or chronic trauma are more likely to experience a head, neck or jaw problem. These are a few examples of situations that may induce such ailments:
- Prolonged opening of the jaw after a dental surgery
- Jaw surgeries
- Recent changes to teeth (ie. braces, teeth extractions)
- Poor posture at the office
- Direct trauma to the neck, jaw, head
- History of concussion
- Poor sleeping habits
- Stress
- Biting teeth (bruxism)
- Dental malocclusion
- Neck arthritis
- History of a car accident
- Sports injuries
How can I tell if I need treatment for my head, neck or jaw?
Most of the symptoms regarding neck, head and jaw injuries could be self-resolving. Home care regimen of rest, cessation of aggravating activities, heat/ice, and over-the-counter pain medication can help. However, some symptoms will continue to persist and worsen with time without care or despite home care. In that case, you will need to go see a physiotherapist or chiropractor diagnose your condition, figure out what caused the pain and begin a treatment plan.
What are some treatments available for my head, neck or jaw?
At Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic, we provide a variety of physiotherapy and chiropractic treatments that can match everyone’s needs, regardless of age. Most of our treatments are hands-on and we rely less on electrical modalities.
What makes us unique is that every patient has a special plan tailored to their medical condition and diagnosis/es. Our regular therapy session lasts 30 mins per appointment.
We take our time to diagnose our patients, spending between 45 minutes to 1 hour. We ensure that everyone is safe and properly educated about their pain, prognosis and their recovery at home.
Treatments for the Head
You’ll be very surprised to know that chiropractors and physiotherapists provide excellent reliable solutions to ease symptoms related to headaches. The space between the base of your skull and the top of your cervical spine contains lots of muscles that can easily spasm because of injuries, poor posture, poor sleeping hygiene or stress, leading to nerve compression.
These nerves can trigger headaches. Most patients will be able to trace their headaches using their fingers and tell us exactly where they feel it.
Did you know that certain types of headaches can be traced back to a specific location of pain in the neck? Facet joint restrictions and muscle spasms can lead to an increase in headaches.
Most patients would report that pressing the base of the skull can trigger worsening of headaches. Solutions such as acupuncture, myofascial release therapy, stretching, spinal decompression (whether manual or motorized), chiropractic spinal adjustments, neurokinetic therapy, hot compression pads, soft tissue therapy, trigger point therapy, patient education, work/lifestyle modification counselling and etc are all provided by our practitioners at Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic.
Treatment for the Neck
The neck is made up of bones, muscles and ligaments. When these three main areas are not functioning properly, you can develop pain or dysfunction in the neck. Here at Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic, our chiropractors and physiotherapists are experts at providing safe, evidence-informed, reliable and effective solutions for those who are suffering from neck pain.
One of the most common treatments for the neck is chiropractic care. Chiropractors use manual adjustments to correct problems that stem from vertebral joint restriction or irritation. Problems like headaches, jaw pain or shoulder pain may stem from one or more hypermobile or stiff joint segments of your cervical vertebrae. Your chiropractor may also order x-rays should he/she rule out any suspicions. Chiropractic care helps to restore proper movement to the joints and muscles that connect to the vertebrae in your spine, which will give you relief for many different symptoms, including stiffness, headaches, jaw pain or sometimes, shoulder pain. At Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic, we offer many treatments for the neck, including:
- Spinal manipulation
- Spinal mobilization
- Myofascial release therapy
- Cervical traction (whether manual or through motorized spinal decompression therapy)
- Soft tissue therapy
- Trigger point therapy
- Acupuncture
- Electrical modalities
- Lifestyle counselling
- Basic postural exercises
When the pain dissipates or improves, most of our patients are encouraged to seek physiotherapy at our clinic. That’s because we need to also address the patient’s lifestyle choices that led them to be in pain in the first place. That includes correcting their sleeping patterns, workstation ergonomics, and poor habits. Our physiotherapists are able to provide exercises, ergonomic solutions and postural rehabilitation to improve your posture for the long run.
Treatment for the Jaw
Muscle and joint pain that arise from jaw dysfunction or injuries often do not get the attention it needs. Did you know that chiropractors and physiotherapists can treat jaw pain with great outcomes? Whether it is chronic locking of the jaw, clenching your teeth at night, stress, or past/new injuries, we can help you find relief with our comprehensive treatment options when your jaw pain becomes severe or constant.
Our chiropractors and physiotherapists have a wide variety of treatments that are proven to help such as:
- Extraoral myofascial release therapy
- Intraoral myofascial release therapy
- Hot compression
- Soft tissue therapy
- TMJ mobilization
- TMJ adjustment
- Lifestyle recommendation
- Exercises/Rehabilitation
Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic
Located in Ottawa, Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic is a leading provider of chiropractic, physiotherapy and related services for people who want to lead healthier lifestyles. If you live in the greater Ottawa area and are looking for someone to help you get back to your normal life, stop by Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic today!
Conclusion
When the head, neck and jaw are not functioning together properly, pain or dysfunction in all three areas can emerge. Symptoms are usually headache, neck stiffness, difficulty chewing or swallowing, jaw pain, difficulty breathing through your nose or mouth, or any jaw clicking. It is critical that you seek treatment if you have been experiencing these symptoms for more than a week; however, many people don’t realize this until their symptoms have gone on for a long time, and it’s too late.
It is essential to find a professional who understands how these three areas interact and provide manual care that is customized to every patient. He/She will be able to provide treatment for your specific problem and help you get back to your everyday life as soon as possible.
At Kent Chiro-Med Wellness Clinic, we offer comprehensive treatment of the head, neck and jaw. It’s important to us to get you feeling better so that you can get back to your regular lifestyle, or even better, become better at what you’re already doing