Total Wellness Plan

by Dr. Robert O. Uppgaard, DDS

Taking Control of TMJYour Total Wellness Program

for Prevention and Recovery from Temporomandibular Joint Pain, Whiplash,

Fibromyalgia, and Related Disorders

Author of:

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Chapter 1: How to Understand the Problem Chapter 2: Exercises to Improve Jaw Functioning Chapter 3: Treating Referred Pain from Trigger Points

Chapter 4: Eliminating Harmful Habits Chapter 5: Identifying Stressors Chapter 6: How to Evaluate & Improve Diet & Exercise Habits. Chapter 7: Whiplash Chapter 8: Fibromyalgia and TMJ Disorder Chapter 9: Splints

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Chapter 1 - Understand the Problem page 17

Figure 1.4. Fascia Man (Reprinted with permission of John Barnes, P.T. )

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Chapter 1 - Understand the Problem page 22

Figure 1.6. The F-S Index* of the Craniomandibular Pain Syndrome

Age 4-7 8-10 11-15 16-20 21-30 31-4041-50 51-60 61-70

• Loss of control over movement in face, tongue, lips, and other associated symptoms

• Compounding of almost all symptoms

• Headaches-Continuous and incapacitating; TMJ-Osteoarthritic degeneration ; Eye-Pain severe and continuous Neck and facial pain-Incapacitating

• Headaches-Incapacitating; TMJ-Jaw joint becoming arthritic; Eye-Pain continuous behind eyes; Neck and facial pain-Continuou;s Back pain-Chronic; Shoulder-Pain mimics arthritis

• Headaches-As below + frequent sinus-like pain Fascial asymmetry ; Eye-Pain occasional ; Backaches-occasional Neck and shoulder pain-occasional; Jaw muscles sore and "tired“

• Headaches-Occasional ; TMJ-Movement painful Eye-Pain behind eyes Ears-Roaring-ringing + occasional dizziness Back-Scoliosis very apparent ; Neck and shoulder pain-occasional

• Headaches-Back of head ; TMJ-Grinding, popping or clicking-limited ability to open mouth-soreness in jaw muscles Ears-Roaring, buzzing, hissing Scoliosis-Curvature observable

• Headaches-Forehead TMJ-Popping or clicking opening limited Ears-Ringing

• Headaches-Temples Earaches (no infection)

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Chapter 1 - Understand the Problem page 31

Figure 1.9. Feature Imbalance

• Eye Level • Cheek Bones • Lips

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Jump Start Treatment pages 6,7,8

Jump Start Treatment

1. Avoid Clenching (pg. 37)2. Eliminate Harmful Habits (pg. 59)3. Learn Deep Breathing (pg. 90)

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Chapter 2 – Exercises to Improve Jaw Functioning page 35

Figure 2.6 Improve Shoulder Posture

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 49

Figure 3.1 Splenius Cervicus (Back of Neck)

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 50

Figure 3.2. Sternocleidomastoid (Under the Ear)

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 51 Figure 3.3 Trapezius (On Top of the Shoulder)

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 52

Figure 3.4 Pain patterns caused by the Masseter muscle

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 53

Figure 3.5 Medial Pterygoid (Inside the Jaw)

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 53-54

Figure 3.6 Lateral Pterygoid (Behind the Upper Third Molars)

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 54-55

Figure 3.7 Temporalis (Side of Head)

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Chapter 3 - Treat Referred Pain from Trigger Points page 55 - 56

Figure 3.8 Levator Scapulae (Side of the Neck)

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Chapter 4 - Eliminate Harmful Habits page 73

Figure 4.16. The Back Stretch Exercise

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Chapter 5 - Identify Stressors page 89

Strategy 4: Listen to Your Body

• If you listen to your body, it will let you know when you are pushing too much. If you're feeling tense, pay attention to your physical sensations. Does your neck hurt? Are your jaw muscles feel ing tight? Once you've located where the tension in your body is, you can go about trying to ease it. A book like The Daily Relaxer, by Matt hew McKay and Patrick Fanning, can help out by providing lots of relaxation strategies. Look in appendix A for information about this book.

• When you feel pressured or stressed out, be good to yourself and take a little time off. Do something you really enjoy. It could be as simple as taking a walk, watching a sunset, reading a book or having lunch with a friend. But it should be something special, just for you. You will gain renewed energy from such a diversion.

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Chapter 5 - Identify Stressors page 90

Strategy 5: Learn Deep Breathing According to Starlanyl and Copeland (1996), "Deep breathing will help to rid your body of waste gases. It also massages some of your organs and improves your mental clarity and focus. By breathing mindfully and consciously, and slowing and deepening your breath, you can relax and ease anxiety and stress."

1. Lie on your back with your legs extended and your arms comfortable at your sides.

2. Place one arm on your chest and the other on your abdomen. 3. Inhale slowly through your nose. You should feel your stomach

expanding, which will cause the hand on your abdomen to rise. The hand on your chest shouldn't move much.

4. Exhale slowly, first through your nose and then through your mouth until the whole breath has been expelled.

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Chapter 6 – Evaluate and Improve Diet and Exercise Habits page 110

Exercise 1: Mountain Pose side view is done correctly (in the middle) and incorrectly (right & left):

Head retracted

Total body off balance

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Chapter 6 - Evaluate and Improve Diet and Exercise Habits page 110

Exercise 2: Shoulder Shrug • Standing in mountain

pose, pull your shoulders up as far as possible; hold for a few seconds, and release.

• Do this exercise five to ten times.

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Chapter 6 - Evaluate and Improve Diet and Exercise Habits page 110

Exercise 3: Shoulder Rolls • Standing in mountain

pose, rotate your shoulders in circles, first going forward, and then rotating backward.

• Do this exercise five to ten times in each direction, slowly.

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Chapter 7 - Whiplash page 121

Whiplash

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•Car accidents are responsible for millions of whiplash injuries each year

•Many people never fully recover

Chapter 8 – Fibromyalgia and TMJ Disorder page 121

Fibromyalgia and TMJ Disorder

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•Officially recognized as an illness by the American Medical Association in 1987.

•Until recently, relatively uncommon for physicians to know of its existence.

•Advice to sufferers: Get out of your chairs, stretch, and keep moving.

Chapter 9 - Splints page 141

Splints

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•Splints are “Bite Plates” used to prevent clenching.

•They often do more harm than good.

Recommended Reading

1) Pain Erasure: The Bonnie Prudden Way: How to Erase Pain in Minutes Without Drugs, and Discover the Wonders of Trigger Point Therapy

2) The Trigger Point Workbook by Claire Davies3) Taking Control of TMJ: Your Total Wellness Program

for Recovering from Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, Fibromyalgia, Whiplash, and Related Disorders

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