subject: Tmj And Tinnitus - What Does My Jaw Have To Do With My Ringing Ears? [print this page] The TMJ is an abbreviation for Temporomandibular Joint, or jaw joint. You will find two TMJ's, one in front of each ear, where the jaw bone meets the temple. If you insert your little finger into your ear and open and shut your mouth, it is possible to feel movement. They are the most used as well as the most complex joints within the body mainly because they work in unison to help you talk, consume food, sing, yell, and swallow. It is said that each time you swallow, you're applying over 25 lbs of pressure on the jaw, which makes it easy to understand why there is discomfort if the joint malfunctions!
TMJ disorder can be described as a condition that is typically characterized by jaw discomfort, clicking or popping noises, issues opening and closing the mouth, along with headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and last (but certainly not least!)... tinnitus.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is understood to be a tone in 1 ear or both ears, which can include buzzing, whooshing, ringing, or whistling, occurring without an external stimulus. Meaning that the sound the person is hearing comes from inside the person's own head and not from outside sources. It could be the result of a medical situation, including TMJ disorder, an ear infection, loss of hearing, side effects of particular drugs, a blocked auditory tube or canal, or a head trauma.
What is the correlation between TMJ & tinnitus?
In the event the jaw isn't working properly, it can cause many problems, like tinnitus. It's likely that around half of the sufferers who have TMJ disorder also report tinnitus or ringing in their ears as another 1 of their symptoms.
Since the ear and jaw share blood flow and nerves... headaches, fatigue, and tension in the jaw muscles have been discovered to generally be higher in tinnitus patients. TMJ sufferers who may have tight muscles inside the jaw area might be causing the small muscles inside the ear to tighten up, which often can in turn cause tinnitus.
We realize that tinnitus can be incredibly depressing and may also make you feel hopeless at times...but don't stress, there are solutions.
