Muscles and nerves become inflamed, sensitized and sore due to patterns of overuse during sleep when they should be resting, leading to temporomandibular joint pain and disease (TMD). 

Neck pain from nerves originates at the base of the neck and travels to the forehead, sinus region and jaw. Headaches also begin from the tightening of muscles that assist in breathing in the shoulder, neck and upper back. These pain patterns continue to the forehead, jaw muscles and small muscles around the middle ear causing changes in hearing and ear pain.  

Treatment involves finding the cause of the poor sleep so that these negative patterns do not continue.  Any muscles or nerves that have been sore or painful for a duration of time will also need additional therapy to return to a normal level of comfort and movement.  A comprehensive management team includes sleep physicians, oral surgeons, dentists, ENT physicians, physiotherapists, neurologists, psychiatrists and chiropractors all working together as needed to control the cause and manage the effects.

The NIH-funded OPPERA Cohort study conclusively shows that poor sleep quality occurs before chronic headaches, jaw and neck pain.  Proper sleep assessment and management can break the pain and physiotherapy/chiropractic care cycle.