What are TMJ disorders?
Disorders of the jaw joint and chewing muscles?and how people respond to them?vary widely. Researchers generally agree that the conditions fall into three main categories: 1. Myofascial pain, the most common temporomandibular disorder, involves discomfort or pain in the muscles that control jaw function. 2. Internal derangement of the joint involves a displaced disc, dislocated jaw, or injury to the condyle. 3. Arthritis refers to a group of degenerative/inflammatory joint disorders that can affect the temporomandibular joint. A person may have one or more of these conditions at the same time. Some people have other health problems that co-exist with TMJ disorders, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disturbances or fibromyalgia, a painful condition that affects muscles and other soft tissues throughout the body. It is not known whether these disorders share a common cause. People who have a rheumatic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, may develop TMJ disease as a secondary con
