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Thread: Jaw pain, related to weight training?

  1. #1
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    Jaw pain, related to weight training?

    Hey guys, I have jaw pain on my left side that has lingered around long enough it's grown into an issue I need to work on. It hurts to chew, hurts to open my jaw past a certain point (eating a cheeseburger is tough), and I have a sore spot at the joint in front of my ear. Last couple days I started doing a few jaw exercises to see it would help alleviate the issue. The exercises have helped with the ROM, the pain is still present but in the ways of how it feels when you work out sore joints, with some sharp pain when I bite down, so I'm trying to take it easy. I'm hoping that exercises can fix the issue so I don't have to go in to a Dr.

    While working on healing up, I've thought about how I got to this point in the first place. Stress is a contributor, which I'm under, no surprise on that one. Another is, I realize that I clench my jaw when I lift. I suspect it to be the bigger contributor. I've also caught myself in resting/relaxing positions clenching my jaws, which is a little disconcerting. Has anyone experienced similar? Does anyone have advice on how to correct that? I've seen mouth/teeth guards mentioned in the jaw pain/TMJ topic. Possible solution, least when lifting?

    What should I consider in this position? Anyone had a similar issue they've worked through?

  2. #2
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    Go see a dentist
    Your wisdom teeth could be horizontal
    He can check with xrays
    Ask me how I know
    They had to break my two lower wisdom teeth to get them out

  3. #3
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    I don't have any, had them all removed years ago.

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    Go see a medical provider or dentist.

    Wisdom teeth or other dental issue is possible. I waited too long on mine and needed to have them split too. That said, the whole removal thing was slick. In the time of COVID, no one needs to be walking around with a festering abscess in their head.

    Could also be an inner ear or neurological issue as well. Clicking in the ear could be related. Let a pro check you out.
    Last edited by HardToHandle; 06-04-20 at 21:19.

  5. #5
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    Look up trismus - caused by spasm of the muscles of mastication, i.e., eating, but otherwise known as lockjaw. I had it caused by dental surgery where the dentist stuck that runner wedge so deep in my jaw (during crown surgery) that it caused the trismus of a muscle towards the front/side of my jaw.

    Painful? You bet ... and LONG lasting, took me 6-months to get past it! There is a test for how severe a case, based on how many fingers you can fit in your mouth w/ your hand vertical. I got it to the point where I could barely get 1 finger in and I thought I’d be living on smoothies & pizza for the rest of my life.

    For relief, and to increase ROM, apply warm compresses to the area, covering the ENTIRE muscle area, then I had to PRY my jaws open! I had to make rubber pads to go on my finger tips, to protect them, as they were getting bruised & bloody from grasping and forcing my teeth apart. They do make a special $400 medical device to slowly force your jaw open, but my dentist refused to ‘prescribe’ it. Again, DO NOT force your jaw open without warming up the muscles/nerve/facial area! I’ll leave out the legal details in my case and just end up by saying that the dentist at that practice was eventually fired.

    If truly a case of trismus, I’d advise a GOOD dental exam, as you may also be mashing or clenching your teeth together whilst sleeping, which will or could add to it. For immediate relief, sleep w/ a sports mouth guard in (clean it before & after!) and use it whilst lifting. If trimus ... I feel for you, it is BAD and so rare, that I never heard of it, nor know of snyone esle who suffered from it.
    Last edited by Lefty223; 06-04-20 at 21:38.
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  6. #6
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    Revisiting this, a month and a half later, I'm starting to think this jaw pain is from stress. Since I posted this, I wrapped up training (a new hire at work), went on vacation for a week and enjoyed the rest of thee month of June 'just doing my job'. But July came and I started training another new hire and for at least the last week or two, my jaw pain is back I have not lifted in this time so I'm eliminating weight training and that source of strain.

    So, I'm back to icing my face, doing my jaw exercises and clawing my way to the end of this week when we are done with training.

    I really think stress from work is the cause. Now, I guess I'm deciding what I'm going to do with it.

  7. #7
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    Glad self examination is helping identify the cause, but I agree with above suggestions to seek professional help. Little things like this could be signs of something bigger.

    Do you grind your teeth at night? Many times I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of my GF grinding her teeth, and she reported jaw pain in the mornings. She was under very high stress loads. It did not end until she completed her residency and was able to unwind a bit.

    Also, check out Mewing aka orthotropics or face yoga. Named after father & son orthodontists who claim their techniques can help realign the jaw & facial structure, which can help with symptoms like yours. Basically you stay mindful of where your tongue is and work to strengthen your tongue and jaw muscles. Caveat emptor- Mew, SR had his dental license revoked by the General Dental Council for encouraging patients to use his techniques instead of traditional means like orthodontics and surgery. Draw your own conclusions.
    Last edited by Co-gnARR; 07-22-20 at 11:12.

  8. #8
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    You are probably also clinching at night. Get a custom mouth guard, “ night guard “ . Wear at night and wear when lifting.

    I used to clinch bad at night and would wake up sore.

    PB
    Last edited by Pappabear; 07-22-20 at 11:46.
    "Air Force / Policeman / Fireman / Man of God / Friend of mine / R.I.P. Steve Lamy"

  9. #9
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    See a doctor for Pete's sake,

  10. #10
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    I’ve dealt with some pretty bad stress induced TMJ issues so I can relate. I’d suggest finding an actual TMJ specialist. For almost all cases of TMJ it can be successfully treated with a combination of a splint/night guard, NSAIDs, a short course of steroids, and possibly some sleep meds. The reason for the sleep meds are if you sleep hard you won’t clench your teeth near as much at night and that’s one of the biggest causes since you cannot stop yourself as you are asleep. You will also need to start being cognizant of your clenching while awake. Don’t rest your chin on your hand and try to keep your teeth slightly apart and your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

    Do not see a surgeon, there are some surgeons who specialize in TMJ but when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail. Less than 5% of cases actually need surgery. Avoid any dentist that wants to use an MRI, CT scan, TMJ Doppler, TMJ Sonography, EMG, Kinesiography (jaw tracking), etc. There is no data to support their use but they will absolutely lighten your wallet.

    There are two types of exercises that I think are actually worth doing, try them out and see what you think. The first one you take your thumb and place it on your front upper teeth and your index finger on your front lower teeth. Bounce your jaw open 10 times and then hold for a count of 10. Do this 3 times and up to 3 times daily. The other is active resistance. Place your first under your jaw and press up gently while pressing down with your jaw, hold for 6-10 seconds. You’ll be able to hold longer and press harder as your jaw gets better. Next, press on the left side of your jaw with your hand and try to keep it centered by resisting with your jaw. Same count and do the same thing on the right side. Repeat 5 or 6 times and you can do these up to 3 times a day as well.

    Last, if nothing else works I’d suggest some form of therapy. Obviously it’s stress induced so you need to get the stress under control or this will be a recurring thing. However, if you take care of your jaw and don’t clench too much it probably won’t be a chronic issue. Let me know if you have any questions, I’m not a doctor in this field or anything but I have extensive personal experience unfortunately and have researched it as much as possible and have a fantastic doctor I use.

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