
Does your jaw ever crack when you open your mouth? As long as nothing hurts, it’s no big deal. However, about eight percent of the population suffer from pain caused by faulty interaction of the jaw.
Physiotherapy methods can also be applied to the jaw muscles. As one of the few practices in the region, the PHYSIOZENTRUM specializes in the treatment of jaw complaints.
Craniomandibular Dysfunction
These include disorders caused by an operation, a fracture of the jaw or radiotherapy with subsequent limited jaw mobility. By far the most common indication in jaw physiotherapy is the so-called Craniomandibular Dysfunction (CMD). The skull (Cranio in Latin) and lower jaw (Mandibula) often do not match up perfectly with each other. Up to three quarters of all people feel and sometimes hear a sound when opening their mouth.
A CMD in the narrower sense of the word is only considered if the noise also causes patients to suffer from it and report the pain to their doctor or dentist. The complaints are mainly based ont pain in the chewing muscles, in the jaw joint or in the ears. CMD patients are also often led to believe that they suffer from migraines.
Bruxism
There are many reasons for CMD: Stress, developmental disorders of the jaws or malpositioned teeth can all have negative effects. A bad posture favours the problem (the jaw opens more smoothly with a straight back than with a curved posture). One of the main triggers is the unconscious, mostly nocturnal teeth grinding, called Bruxism in technical jargon. Here, too, one has to differentiate: occasional teeth grinding, frequently associated with childhood, is not harmful.
If, however, the teeth are pressed together again and again and over longer periods of time with full force, it becomes unhealthy: The teeth wear out, the periodontium, the chewing muscles, the jaw joint can all become damaged. Muscles used to stabilize the head can also be affected. Stress is the most important trigger for bruxism. In addition, nocturnal teeth grinding is often accompanied by sleep disorders (snoring, sleep apnea) and may stem from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine or medication intake.
Prescription from the dentist
Dentists are also entitled to prescribe physiotherapy. It is important that the indication is correctly stated on the prescription (e.g. “CMD” or “Bruxism”). If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
Physiotherapy of the jaw is useful in the following cases:
- Bruxism (grinding of teeth)
- Myoarthropathy
- Disc displacement
- Cranio-mandibular dysfunction
- Disturbances after fracture in the jaw area
- Disturbances after irradiation with subsequent limited jaw mobility
- Disorders after oral surgery
- facial pain
The goals of jaw physiotherapy are:
- Pain reduction
- Improvement of joint function and muscular dysfunctions in the chewing apparatus, cervical spine and shoulder girdle
- Optimization of head, neck and shoulder girdle conditions
In order to achieve these goals, the jaw physiotherapist uses a whole series of measures
- Manual-therapeutic joint mobilisation, cranial mobilisation
- Active and passive relaxation and mobilization techniques
- Muscle stretching, soft tissue techniques, trigger point treatment
- Stabilisation exercises, exercises to improve coordination of mouth, tongue, lip and cervical spine movements
- Patient information on causes and coping strategies of the complaints (incl. posture training and tips on behaviour at the workplace)
- Instructions on how to run a home program
Links to the topic
Our physiotherapists

Miriam Humbel

Annina Forrer-Hauser

Marco Planz

Jasmin Caprio

Nils Hercher

Martina Mächler

Karin Marchetti

Laura Palumbo

Johanna Winter

Gabriela Grams

Sabrina Lang

Marion Rohrer

Jan Clausen

Anja Hinteregger

Marcel Lober

Annika Hipp

Anja Möri

Shayne Keiser

Sandra Habegger

Miriam Walther

Fabienne Hofer

Martina Alexandra Schaller

Isabelle Koch

Lotte Jaeken

Valeria Curtins

Andrea Rudin

Filip Stankovic

Seraina Dübendorfer

Isabelle Angelika Dietrich

Meret Rihs-Herzog

Sarah Koch

Pernille Christensen

Corina Venzin

Martina Elliker

Roger Ernst

Vera Häberli

Laura Köpfler

Sandro Perrenoud

Lukas Lotz

Claudia Bauer

Barbara Guggisberg

Martina Pasquinucci

Ramona Hänni

Tabea Ücker

Josephine Fischer

Jenny Wiedmer

Jeannine Graf

Tobias Schwank

Nadine Grob

Nina Janackova

Simona Punová

Finja Bauer

Vasileios Papaioannou

Corina Lanker

Lena Wolf

Chiara Wulff

Joy Zellweger

Ruben Ramos

Letizia Cantaluppi

Melanie Achermann

Lucas Lommer

Marc Riedlsperger

Jessica Meyer

Marije Schrijber

Andre Kamann

Hui-Zie Ngai

Elina Henttinen

Isabelle Eckert

Janine Minet

Julia Merz

Lisa Balzer

Tina Frey
Alternatively, we also offer video consultation.