(((JEANNA)))

PM me if you wish, I can definitely sympathize with your TMJ issues. Think I mentioned I have dealt with it pretty much non-stop for years. Did they use a TENS unit or similar on you before fitting you for a mouthguard? If they fit you for one with your jaw in the "normal" position they are promoting continuance of that space, instead of trying to realign. (This is how it was explained to me.) I think normal is 3" between joints.. I have about 1/2" on my more affected TMJ.

By muscular involvement, do you mean myofascial pain?

Don't think I have any ligament issues. Shocked that it has just developed and will require surgery. Was told my TMJ specialist that only 2% of cases will require surgery. Might want a second opinion before you proceed with something like this...

I am so proud of you for getting it checked out. TMJD is sort of dismissed, but it can lead to very serious issues, and should be checked/treated ASAP (in my opinion!). I allowed mine to get much worse because it was uncovered by insurance (anything involving the TMJ) and I would only seek assistance when it became unbearable. I think I could have prevented a lot of what has gone wrong by early intervention.

Good luck with ENT, and I hope the mouthguard provides some relief. I can't stress enough how much adding a muscle relaxer at night helped me.

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Kristin

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[purple] Kristin [/purple]