Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Physiotherapy

The temporomandibular joint is the hinge connecting your jawbone to your skull, and when it isn't moving properly it can cause clicking or grinding when you open your mouth, jaw tenderness, ear pain, facial aching and — in more advanced cases — locking that makes it hard to open or close your mouth fully.

The cause varies: disc misalignment, arthritis, an old jaw injury, teeth grinding, poor posture, stress or whiplash can all contribute, and often more than one factor is at play.

Treatment typically combines posture correction (since head and neck position directly loads the jaw), manual therapy to restore jaw mobility and release tight tissue, and guided low-impact jaw exercises, sometimes alongside electrical stimulation or ultrasound for pain relief.

Acute TMJ complaints often improve over roughly six weeks of treatment; longstanding, chronic cases may need 10 to 12 visits with periodic check-ins afterward. Your physiotherapist may also suggest a dental referral if your bite is contributing to the problem.