Runners: TMJ or TMD or TMJD or Whatever you call it, how do you prevent it?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

For years and years b/f my daughter was born, I ran. I ran even while I was pregnant -- though lightly. I kid you not, I jogged through a good part of labor, even. I ran till my girl was about 2. She hated her stroller; I was tired; whatever.

 

Incidentally, I had TMD for years and years. I had it for a goooood long time. I didnt' notice it stop but one day the topic came up and I realized that my jaw didn't hurt anymore. For yrs the dentist told me that it was b/c I grind my teeth and clench my jaws. I tried at least two appliances that were supposed to help but only made it worse. I was thrilled when I noticed that it stopped. Putting 2 and 2 together, I rather figured that it was the running.

 

Fast Forward

 

So, ironically, my daughter wants to go out for track. The coach has suggested she start working on conditioning b/f the Feb start date. So, we've begun to run . . . again, in my case.

 

My question, finally, is this: supposing that my previous jaw problems were running related, how do I keep it from happening again?

 

It really was a lot of pain and I would hate to deal with it again, iykwim.

 

Any pointers/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[LG Gone Wild]

For years and years b/f my daughter was born, I ran. I ran even while I was pregnant -- though lightly. I kid you not, I jogged through a good part of labor, even. I ran till my girl was about 2. She hated her stroller; I was tired; whatever.

 

Incidentally, I had TMD for years and years. I had it for a goooood long time. I didnt' notice it stop but one day the topic came up and I realized that my jaw didn't hurt anymore. For yrs the dentist told me that it was b/c I grind my teeth and clench my jaws. I tried at least two appliances that were supposed to help but only made it worse. I was thrilled when I noticed that it stopped. Putting 2 and 2 together, I rather figured that it was the running.

 

Fast Forward

 

So, ironically, my daughter wants to go out for track. The coach has suggested she start working on conditioning b/f the Feb start date. So, we've begun to run . . . again, in my case.

 

My question, finally, is this: supposing that my previous jaw problems were running related, how do I keep it from happening again?

 

It really was a lot of pain and I would hate to deal with it again, iykwim.

 

Any pointers/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Don't laugh, but do more yoga with ample neck stretching. When I train, I find my jaw clenches too. Try and do some calming things as well such as meditation, meditative music, lavender on the pillow, vicodin..stuff like that.

[Kim in Appalachia]

A friend (who was a track coach) told me to put my thumb and ring finger together while I ran (like the OM sign). He said when you did this you could not/would not tighten up your arm. I had been getting pain in my arm, even numbness. It worked. Doing that may help you relax more too. It keeps your arm and shoulder from clenching, which may keep your jaw from clenching. It's worth trying. You also may want to focus on your breath. If you pay attention to your breathing maybe you won't tense your jaw.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Try and do some calming things as well such as meditation, meditative music, lavender on the pillow, vicodin..stuff like that.

 

:lol::lol::lol: Thanks for the tips!

[MomOfOneFunOne]

A friend (who was a track coach) told me to put my thumb and ring finger together while I ran (like the OM sign). He said when you did this you could not/would not tighten up your arm. I had been getting pain in my arm, even numbness. It worked. Doing that may help you relax more too. It keeps your arm and shoulder from clenching, which may keep your jaw from clenching. It's worth trying. You also may want to focus on your breath. If you pay attention to your breathing maybe you won't tense your jaw.

 

That's interesting! That whole Knee bone connected to the hip bone thing . . . :lol:

 

I'll give that a try!

[angela in ohio]

I have suffered with TMJ for years, including grinding my teeth at night, but I finally went to a chiropractor who fixed it. The last one didn't, so you have to find the right person who will take it seriously. It's amazing to be pain free!

 

I also agree about the neck stretching. And pay attention to how you hold your head when you run; do you hold it at an odd angle or tense it up?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I have suffered with TMJ for years, including grinding my teeth at night, but I finally went to a chiropractor who fixed it. The last one didn't, so you have to find the right person who will take it seriously. It's amazing to be pain free!

 

I also agree about the neck stretching. And pay attention to how you hold your head when you run; do you hold it at an odd angle or tense it up?

 

Probably.:glare:

 

I was recently reading a book about fitness at West Point and in the section about posture, very important there, was some discussion that made me wonder how I even manage to get out of bed at all.