All About TempoloMandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder and Cannabis

A lot of people use cannabis to treat chronic pain. It helps them get relief from pain like arthritis, back pain, headaches, and TMJ disorder. When someone is suffering from TMJ disorder, the main symptoms they would have are pain and inflammation. And, this is related to the endocannabinoid system. Cannabis affects the endocannabinoid system of a human. That’s why it makes sense if a person consumes cannabis for treating TMJ disorder’s pain.

According to one research, people found cannabis effective in relieving chronic pain and reducing inflammation in the temporomandibular joint and some other most common conditions such as migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, and tension headaches.

This article will talk about all the nitty-gritty of the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) and how cannabis helps treat TMJ disorder.

What is TMJ? 

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder is a type of disorder that affects the jaw joint and the muscles responsible for the jaw’s motion. It causes pain and dysfunction in your joints. TMJ is a collection of multiple conditions, which includes:

• Due to the displaced disk or a jaw injury, the jaw joint could be internally damaged.
• There is a kind of pain called myofascial pain. This causes a problem in the muscles of the jaw movement.
• The temporomandibular joint, which connects the jaw to the skull, can become inflamed and degenerate due to arthritis.

Doctors are unsure what causes TMJ apart from injuries to the jaw or systemic disorders such as arthritis. However, genetics and stress may play a role. Especially when someone is stressed, they may clench their jaw muscles or grind their teeth. This is a type of condition called bruxism. It can also happen while the person is sleeping.

How can cannabis help to treat TMJ disorder?

The temporomandibular joint disorder is a condition in which the person has to suffer from muscle spasticity—moving the mandible up and down becomes difficult. It is challenging to get the muscles to stretch back out when they tense up.

However, there has been a study about muscle spasticity in people who have multiple sclerosis. Around half of the people said that they no longer get muscle spasms when they consume marijuana. People with TMJ disorder feel pain in their jaw and different areas like the ears, face, and neck.

Cannabis contains a lot of different compounds, which helps in easing the symptoms of various health problems. Every strain of cannabis has a unique profile. Two compounds play a vital role in the treatment of chronic pain. They are THC and CBD. It works by activating the receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS).

The TMJ disorder doesn’t affect all the individuals in the same way. And, there is no single cause of this disorder. Therefore, the treatments for the people suffering from TMJ vary from one another. If we talk about the medical treatment, the doctor will prescribe some over-the-counter pain killers. Moreover, the doctor would also suggest some of the strategies for massage. Some people may get relief from either counselling, physical therapy or lifestyle changes.

On the other hand, as we mentioned earlier that marijuana doesn’t only help in the treatment of TMJ but also other problems, including psychological disorders like anxiety, depression and insomnia.

How to Take Marijuana for TMJ

There are multiple ways by which you can consume cannabis. For instance, you may choose to take cannabis by smoking or vaping. This would ensure that the compounds reach the bloodstream quickly via the lungs. However, some people might not prefer smoking or vaping. As it requires a few mouth movements, it could worsen TMJ’s condition.

Moreover, you also have an option for the tincture. It’s an extract of cannabinoids and terpenes. You’d need to take a few drops and keep it under the tongue. This is also one of the methods in which the absorption of cannabis is pretty fast. Once absorbed, it would relieve the pain, anxiety and other symptoms.

Furthermore, those who don’t want to affect their lungs by smoking or vaping cannabis can choose to go with the edibles. There are so many cannabis-infused edibles. You can easily get it from the weed dispensary shops. Apart from getting the required dose of cannabis, you can also enjoy the delicious taste of gummies or chocolate. However, there is a drawback to this option. You wouldn’t feel the effects as soon as you take in. It could take somewhere around 30-60 minutes for the effects to kick in. The reason is that the digestive system has to work to get the cannabis into the bloodstream. And that takes time. But that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t get relief from jaw pain. On top of that, it would also help in relaxing muscles and calm anxiety.

CBD for TMJ

As we mentioned earlier, cannabis helps in treating pain and inflammation, including TMJ disorder. CBD is also one of the components of cannabis. It has been observed that using cannabis has helped individuals treat various conditions that affect the joints. One of the studies carried out between 1975 and 2018 has shown that cannabis works very well in reducing cancer pain, neuropathic pain, and fibromyalgia.

Conclusion

The research for how CBD affects the body is still ongoing. However, so fat the results are promising. A large number of people say that they get relief from chronic pain, which includes TMJ. You can consume cannabis in any of the ways described above.

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