Migraine ups the risk of developing TMJ

A migraine is the third most common illness in the world, affecting about 12 percent of the population. Now, a new study shows they may also be linked to a common jaw disorder.
Anyone who’s had a migraine knows one bad attack can ruin your whole day.

A migraine episode can cause pain, vision loss, nausea, and sensitivity to light. A new study shows people who have chronic migraines are also three times more likely to have symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, for short. It’s a condition that affects the jaw joint and surrounding muscles causing pain, reduced jaw movement, and a clicking or popping sound in the jaw.

“NIH did a study where they found that between four and 15 percent of the population of patients have pain, discomfort or dysfunction that would benefit from treatment,” Ray Becker, DDS, FAGD, Howard County Smiles, told Ivanhoe.

Treatments include night guards, relaxation exercises, anti-anxiety or pain meds, dental work, nerve stimulation, injections, lasers, and in some cases, surgery. Talk to your doctor or dentist if you have frequent migraines and jaw pain. The right treatments could lessen your pain and have you feeling better in no time.

If you’re wondering … while migraines put you at risk for TMJ, the reverse doesn’t seem to be true. So, a severe case of TMJ isn’t likely to increase your risk of developing migraines.

Contributors to this news report include: Julie Marks, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor