How To Fix Lockjaw: A Gentle Stretching Routine | Liebscher & Bracht

How to Fix Lockjaw Pain (Trismus)

Lockjaw, clinically known as trismus, is a painful disorder of the jaw muscles that restricts how wide you can open your mouth. (Most of us can open our mouths 35 to 55 millimetres.) If you’re experiencing jaw pain because of trismus, our stretching routine may be able to help. Our exercises take about 8 minutes, and you’ll need the Jaw Hero. If you don’t have our tool, use something similar in shape, like a cork. Jump to our routine to start alleviating discomfort, or keep reading to learn more about lockjaw.

Lockjaw is caused by spasms in the mastication muscles, which we use to chew. The muscles tighten and shorten, hindering the temporomandibular joint’s movement. We have two temporomandibular joints, one on the left and one on the right side of our faces, just in front of the ears. The temporomandibular joints act as hinges, facilitating smooth jaw movement when it opens and closes.

What Are the Symptoms of Lockjaw?

If you have lockjaw, you may find eating, swallowing, speaking, or maintaining oral hygiene difficult (or even impossible).

Additional lockjaw symptoms are:

• jaw pain (even when your jaw is still),
• the inability to fully open your mouth,
• rigid or tight jaw muscles,
• cramped jaw muscles,
• headache.

What Causes Lockjaw?

Lockjaw can be caused by:

A tetanus infection. Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection that occurs when Clostridium tetani enter your body through broken skin, usually from cuts, burns, or bites from animals or insects. The condition affects the nervous system. Tetanus causes painful muscle contractions in the jaw and neck.

Inflamed tissue. Chewing too much (a.k.a. excessive mastication or Temporomandibular Joint disorder) can overwork the jaw muscles and inflame the soft tissue.

Trauma to the jaw. The mastication muscles have been injured, or the jaw bone is fractured.

Oral surgery. An operation performed in the mouth can damage tissue. If you’ve had to keep your mouth open wider than usual for a long period, the hyperextension of the jaw muscle can cause lockjaw.

Teeth grinding.

Arthritis in the jaw.

How Long Does Lockjaw Last?

Lockjaw can last for up to two weeks. Some cases of trismus are permanent.1)

Buy Your Jaw Hero

You can buy the Jaw Hero in our online shop. Check it out. We’ve got lots of pain-relieving tools and products waiting to be added to your cart.

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EXERCISES FOR LOCKJAW

To maximize the benefits of our lockjaw routine, stretch intensely and intelligently. Challenge yourself to stretch at a high intensity that may produce an uncomfortable sensation. (This is a sign that the exercises are working.) However, do not stretch to the point that your breaths become short and shallow or you find that you’re holding your breath.