TMJ Injections for Headache or Facial Pain Q&A

Pain in the face and TMJ are directly linked. When inflammation occurs in the temporomandibular joint and moves outside of the joint area the outcome is inflammation that causes pain.

The inflammation does not confine itself to the jaw joint in TMJ. It spreads out to the tissues that surround the joint. Because of this, the cheek and temple become involved. This worsens with movement of the jaw and goes away as the jaw relaxes.
 
Most often, the pain associated with TMJ in the temple and cheek area is aching and dull. These areas may become swollen but rarely become reddened when inflammation is present. Infections in the mouth or teeth can mimic this pain. Pain in the cheek and temple is caused by inflammation spreading from the joint of the jaw in cases of TMJ. These are often resolved once TMJ treatment is started.

There are a few signs that may signify whether you have a headache or the pain is being caused by TMJ. The most noticeable indicator will be if your pain or headache originates in the jaw. If this is the case, it may not be a true headache. Pain that originates in the jaw will not have the kinds of symptoms that you find with migraines, like sensitivity to light, nausea, or sensitivity to light, smells, or sounds.
 
There are some symptoms that occur with TMJ that doesn’t happen with a headache. Symptoms like painless popping or clicking in the jaw, difficulty chewing, earaches, locked jaw, or pain in the joints of the jaw. With a TMJ-type headache, you may get tightening of the muscles in the face or facial pain that you would not normally have with a headache.

Pain from TMJ can be felt in several places on the face. It often manifests itself as a headache behind the eyes, which is often misdiagnosed as a migraine. But it can and does cause pain in other parts of the face, such as under the eyes, on the cheeks, and on the forehead. When the inflammation begins and the jaw starts to get tender, the muscles of the face will often tighten. This tension can escalate the TMJ pain, which causes more muscle tightening. It’s a painful, vicious circle.

Lidocaine, steroids, hyaluronate, and Botox injections are often used for the treatment of TMJ.
Lidocaine is injected at a trigger point to treat pain in a localized area. These are used to treat very painful areas that do not respond to stretching. A trigger point is a knot or tight muscle that forms when the muscle fails to relax.
 
Steroid injections are usually a local anesthetic/corticosteroid combination that helps to reduce pain in the area. This may take some time for the patient to notice the effects of the injection, but it can last longer than some other types of injections.
 
Hyaluronate injections are given when the patient has a substantial amount of friction in the joint. This is the kind that shows with clicking, popping or locking the jaw. In a way, this is an injection of lubricating fluid to the jaw joint to help it move more freely and with less pain. 
 
Botox injections are used to numb the area and help the muscles relax. It works by blocking exocytosis and reduces the ability of the muscles to contract. It works well to reduce the tight bands of muscle that are prone to happen with TMJ.
 
If you are in the Houston and Sugar Land, TX, area, TMJ treatment is available at Modern Pain Management Clinic. Give us a call to find out how we can help you live a life with less pain. We serve patients from Houston TX, Sugar Land TX, Stafford TX, Pearland TX, Missouri City TX, Jersey Village TX, and Richmond TX.