I’ve recently shown you the myths surrounding doctors and specialists. I’ve given you lots of examples as to why they are a huge waste of money and should be avoided at all times.
This exact same principle holds true for TMJ physical therapy. It’s probably one of the easiest ways to waste tons of money without getting much in return.
Let me tell you what happened to me so you don’t make the same mistake.
My TMJ Physical Therapy Story
A few years back I was still wasting my time, energy, and money by visiting my doctor in hopes of curing my TMJ pain. It was getting especially painful so he sent me to TMJ physical therapy. That’s where the misery began.
First of all, it cost me a $100 co-pay just to get in the door. Once I was there, the therapist had me do a rotator cuff and lat pull-down exercise. Then they took an ice pack, put it under a pillow, and had me lay on it for 15 minutes.
THAT’S IT. THAT’S ALL THEY HAD ME DO!
I ended up going one more time, thinking that the second session would be much more helpful. It wasn’t. And to top it all off my insurance rejected the visits so I was stuck with the bill. So not only did the TMJ physical therapy sessions yield zero results, but now I had to set up a payment plan with collections for something that was a total waste of my time.
I guess the lesson here is that if you ever want to learn two simple exercises and buy a Ziploc bag full of ice for almost $1,000, go check out a local therapist.
A Time and A Place
One thing I want to make clear is that I’m not bashing physical therapy. There is absolutely a place for it; it’s especially useful for those recovering from accidents and life-threatening ailments. The problem is that when it came to my TMJ, they just didn’t know anything about it.
This awful experience was one of the many reasons I decided to focus all my time and energy on simple home remedies. Simple things like stretching, exercises, and tweaks to my diet have already helped me more than I could ever imagine – and I know they can do the same for you.
Have you ever tried going to physical therapy for your TMJ? What was your experience like?
Hey Kevin. I’m really sorry to hear about your experience with physical therapy for TMJ. I’m a chiropractor, and luckily have received some training on doing soft tissue work for TMJ issues. For most problems, we recommend some gentle self-massage techniques on the masseter, temporalis and lateral pterygoid muscles with transition to some stretches and then eventually some isometric exercise techniques to balance out the musculature.
We’re actually trying to work with some dental professionals in the area to train dental assistants to do a little massage work on their patients after prolonged dental work (one of the most common aggravators of TMJ issues). I’m doing a little preliminary research online for recommendations on home treatments.
If you’ve uncovered any new resources on home treatment or would like to talk to me regarding TMJ therapy techniques, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!
~David
Hey David!
Thanks so much for commenting!! I really appreciate hearing from professionals that have real experience helping those with TMJ feel better.
I have a chiropractor here in Santa Cruz (just got back from an appt, actually!) and he’s been fantastic. It took me a LOT of visits to lame ones to find him, but now I’m very very happy.
My biggest home treatments start with the basics: hydration, nutrition, etc. Unfortunately that’s a big problem on it’s own here in the US. After that it’s stretching, stress, breath, and posture. My posture stinks after years of computer jobs so that’s why I see a chiropractor. So far, it’s been great.
I’d love to hear more from you. Anything to help out the (currently) 6,000+ readers per month who come to this blog.
Thank you!
Kevin
Thanks!
Kevin