Michigan TMJ Headache Institute - Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Basics about Migraine Treatment
If you suffer with complaints of migraine or other headache pain, we
would like to make you aware of one basic scientific fact that is
undeniable:
TMJ or jaw joint dysfunction, is the major and usually the only cause
of your suffering. Your doctors, including neurologist, have simply not
received the dental training required to be able to diagnose TMJ
problems and how they relate to your migraine or headache pain.
That is the main reason there is so much skepticism about TMJ treatment
from the medical profession. Physicians just don't know enough about
it. Furthermore, many dentists jump on the bandwagon thinking that they
can cure these ailments, only to find that they lack the skill and
experience to get the job done.
So patients are left in the dark, while professionals who treat these
problems with guaranteed success rates, are ignored by the multitude of
ignorance displayed by others. Once you find the right specialist, your
recovery and elimination of pain is virtually assured! Just don't be
skeptical.
Involvement of the Trigeminal nerve The reason that the TMJ
and your jaws cause migraines and other head pain problems is due to
the fact that the trigeminal nerve is one of the most complex and
powerful nerves in the human body. It is very closely associated to the
TMJ and completely responsible for your jaw and tooth functions. It
feeds sensation and function to your jaws, face, tongue, sinus, palate,
eyes, teeth, and lips.
The trigeminal accounts for over 40% of the brain's processing. In
other words, your brain spends over 40% of its energy trying to figure
out what the trigeminal nerve is sending to and from it. The trigeminal
also has innervation and control over certain areas of the brain itself.
Any neurologist will tell you that physicians blame the trigeminal
nerve for the reasons behind headaches! They just can't explain the
reasons.
The trigeminal nerve is also "married" to the facial, hypoglossal, and
vagus nerves. These nerves control sensation and function of almost all
other muscles of your head, neck, and throat. The facial nerve is also
intimately associated with the TMJ. Many branches of these nerves pass
through or around the TMJ. "Upsetting" any of these 4 nerves usually
ends up disturbing the other three.
That is why we see patients with the following complaints:
- I have had migraines for over 10 years. I have tried every
medication possible. When I get my migraine, which usually happens at
least once a month, I am incapacitated for 3 or more days.
Explanation: This patient has undiagnosed TMJ compression and
disk dislocation. The reasons could be complex! A long time ago this
patient's jaw joint became dysfunctional. The natural, protective disk
of the joint slowly resorbed over time and the jaw joint is now rubbing
less than 1/16 of an inch away from the brain tissue. This jaw joint
"bangs" on the underside of the brain over 5,000 times a day (every
time she chews, swallows, yawns, laughs, eats, speaks, etc.) This
patient usually has no signs of any TMJ pain or problems. The physician
or dentist may do a quick TMJ exam and find absolutely nothing wrong.
This patient may not have ever had any signs of TMJ popping, clicking,
or pain. There may never have been any signs of jaw or jaw joint
problems. However, upon reading a proper transcranial x-ray there is
undeniable proof that the joint is damaged and responsible for
mediating the migraine problem. It is like the story of the frog in the
pot: put a frog in a lukewarm pot and bring it to boil slowly, the frog
will boil to death. However, throw a frog into a boiling pot and the
frog will jump out to save itself. Some patients may experience TMJ
problems at one point or another, while other people are simply not
aware of the problem happening in their own body. If you get into an
accident and your jaw gets dislocated, you will know that you have TMJ
problems because the dislocation hurts your joint, if severe enough.
However, if you slowly wear away your joint over many years, you become
the frog in the boiling pot. The body simply adapts to the problem due
to the fact that the joint is used over 5,000 times a day. The joint
becomes "numb" or "dumb", but the pain is relayed to other parts of the
body.
In some patients, the joint itself may hurt or pop and
click. This is normally seen during the early stages of some headache
sufferers. After a while the noises and joint pain may go away, but the
joint continues to undergo damage. It just becomes quiet and the pain
gets transmitted to the other parts of the head. The patient who
experiences once a month headaches, along with a poppin joint,
eventually becomes the twice a week headache patient with no joint
noises.
- My vision is blurry and my opthalmologist can find no glasses or cures for my problems.
Explanation: The trigeminal nerve is responding to a muscle and
jaw joint compression by irritation of its maxillary/opthalmic
division. The problem is not even close to the eye. It is usually found
within a damaged jaw joint or an abnormal muscle/jaw function.
- I get frequent sore throats and swallowing problems, yet no antibiotic is helpful.
Explanation: Remember the 4 nerves! Irritation to the trigeminal
or facial nerve can cause symptoms in distant areas to the other
nerves. It is not uncommon for patients with TMJ problems to have
burning throats, difficulty swallowing, or other abnormalities of the
throat.
- Since I started getting headaches 5 years ago my doctor has put me on "happy" pills and I am not the same person.
Explanation: Most physicians attempt to treat a problem that
they don't understand. Treating symptoms with medications is just lack
of proper diagnosis. Jaw dysfunction and TMJ problems usually lead to
personality changes and sometimes, psychological problems. The
trigeminal nerve sends signals into the brain by way of the dorsal
nucleus, which ultimately connects to the "emotional center" of the
brain called the hypothalamus (which is responsible for your emotions).
Overstimulation of the trigeminal leads to wear and tear on this
component. The end result are emotional and psychological dysturbances.
- Imitrex works for me during migraine attacks, but it doesn't control them
Explanation: Most medications for headaches try to cure symptoms
instead of causes. Imitrex is sometimes beneficial because it
constricts blood vessels and lessens the expansion of blood vessels in
the brain. Other drugs such as Corgard can also lower blood pressure by
slowing the heart rate down. The problem behind what physicians coin as
"vascular headaches" is that they forget to find what causes the
distension and the blood flow changes, to begin with. The simple
explanation is found by reviewing the pages on the autonomic nervous
system, found on this website. The sympathetic nervous system is so
overworked in headache patients that a common diagnosis we find is RSD
(reflex sympathetic dystrophy). In other words the body is constantly
on the accelerator, breaking down...because the parasympathetic system
is not given a chance to work and bring balance to the body. This
happens as a result of joint damage, stressful life, smoking,
irritability, and other factors that contribute to a stressed body. The
body is "on fire"! Treatment must be aimed at changing the lifestyle.
If there is true joint damage, then treatment must also correct this,
because the joint damage may be causing the stress.
In a
patient with joint damage, the vascular changes are clearly evident and
diagnosable. Read the corresponding pages on this website for more info.
- I was in a car accident 8 years ago and had no headaches until 2 years ago. Now, the migraines are uncontrollable.
Explanation: Car accidents, even at velocities as low as 9 mph,
can result in whiplash which cause dislocation of the jaw joint. The
dislocation may cause immediate signs and symptoms of TMJ pain, or it
can take years for the problem to surface. Remember the boiling frog!
Some people do not exhibit immediate signs of jaw joint dislocation,
because it may take time for the protective disk to resorb and cause
dysfunction of the jaw joint area. The disk slowly resorbs and the
patient feels no pain. However, as the protective mechanism of the disk
is lost, the jaw joint starts to rub on the skull bone/brain tissue and
the body starts to exhibit signs of pain transmitted as migraines or
headaches. Basically, the jaw joint remains symptomless because you use
it so many times during the day (over 5,000 times) that your brain
adapts to its underlying problem. Remember, the joint becomes "dumb."
The nervous sytem, on the other hand, being mediated by the trigeminal
and facial nerves, starts to make the body aware of the problem. That's
when the headaches begin!
- My ears have been hurting and ringings and making all kinds
of noises for years. My ENT finds nothing wrong with them. I'm at my
breaking point.
Explanation: The jaw joint is less that 1/4 inch away from your
ear. Over 5,000 times per day that joint "bangs" on your ear. Take away
the protective disk, and there is not much left to keep your ears from
hurting. The trigeminal and facial nerves have many branches that
project into the ear. Even the slightest dysfunction can cause the ears
to hurt. Read more info on this website on the tinnitus page.
- My sinuses get infected over 6 times a year. I have had surgery twice and antibiotics no longer work.
Remember, the trigeminal nerve feeds the sinuses and palate. Improper
function of this nerve, along with muscular dysfunction cause the
sinuses to act problematically. The muscles of your jaws attach to your
sinuses. Upset muscles cause sinus problems! Upset muscles cause nerve
dysfunction, and vice versa.
- My doctor has diagnosed me with GERD and I have bad headaches also.
The vagus nerve and hypoglossal nerves are responsible for swallowing.
The trigeminal is responsible for chewing. Take the nerves out of
balance and your digestion system will eventually break down. Over 50%
of your digestion starts and completes in the mouth. Improper nerve and
muscle function of your jaws will eventually lead to other digestive
problems. In some patients, we even see signs of respiratory problems
develop. This may be due more to a component of the pain cycle, but it
is obvious.
- I have seen my dentist and family doctor and both of them told me I don't have TMJ, but I have had headaches for over 10 years.
Explanation: Your doctor and dentist are clueless!!! If you have
headaches, you have a jaw joint problem (usually related to a jaw to
jaw relationship problem)! You just have to find the right doctor to
diagnose you properly. Don't be skeptical and don't take the word of
any doctor who tells you otherwise. You can bet the national debt on
the fact that 99% of all headaches are related to your jaw joint and
your jaw to jaw relationship. The only headaches that are not related
to joint damage are those that result from brain tumors!
The Michigan Headache TMJ Doctor website contains
information on the various forms and causes of pain related to
neuromuscular dysfunction that typically affects areas of the head, jaw
and neck. The true causes of head pain are finally explained!
Contact Dr. John Halmaghi and his staff today at (248) 646-1642 to obtain an appointment for an evaluation. |
