Millions of Americans are suffering from some chronic illness. Many of these illnesses come from jaw or neck pain. It can be excruciating living with such an illness, but we must push through with it because of the demands of everyday life.
Among these millions of Americans, only a few choose to get treated. This is because such treatment can cause thousands of dollars. Some may even require constructive surgery, which can easily reach upwards of millions of dollars. Some treatments can actually be more proactive and cheaper than others, though. For example, consulting a temporomandibular disorder or TMD specialist can save you a lot of money before it gets worse. Getting a proactive treatment can help you avoid any big surgeries in the future. It can also help you live a much healthier life. This is one of the ways you can treat your neck or jaw illness. Here are general ways you can treat them yourself.
Exercise your Jaw and Neck
One of the best ways to treat any chronic pain you might be experiencing on your jaw or neck is by letting your muscles get used to it. You can do this through the means of exercise.
The neck muscle is one of the most under-exercised muscles because there isn’t much exercise that can reach it. But it’s one of the most strained muscles in the entire body, especially if you’re suffering from Macrocephaly. It can also be strained by doing office work and going to school. Without proper awareness and exercise, your neck pain can easily become chronic.
Rotating your neck once in a while is already a good enough exercise. You can also do some stretching, as it can help loosen up your neck muscles so it won’t be that strained. This is the same situation for your jaw. Stretching and moving your jaw once in a while is a good enough exercise for you. But unlike your neck, the jaw tends to gets used a lot, especially when you communicate a lot at work. So if you’re already experiencing pain from your jaw, avoid moving or taking for quite some time.
You must do these things under the guidance of a professional. Without a professional doing these things could be detrimental to your health.
Avoid Hard-to-chew Food
We are all exposed to many kinds of foods in our lives. However, some of this food can be detrimental to our health. One of these is hard to chew food.
Candies, some types of chocolate, and granola bars can be tough to chew due to their sticky and tough texture. Sometimes it would take a couple of minutes chewing before you can fully swallow a bite. This can be problematic if you’re already experiencing some pain in your jaw and neck. These treats can be a serious problem, and you should avoid them whenever you can. It’s also good to stay clear of bony foods like fish or chicken. Biting down on a bone can seriously hurt you.
Additionally, avoid eating burnt and crunch food. Also, consider changing your diet to softer food like soup. This will ensure that your recovery from your illness will be swift. Don’t worry, you can return to your previous diet once you recovered from your illness.
Stress Management
Sometimes the pain you feel from your jaw or neck comes from having too much stress. Some of us might unconsciously grind our teeth when stressed, while others might do in their sleep. This act of grinding your teeth can be detrimental not only to your teeth and gums but also to your jaw as well. Stress plays a big factor in this, and by reducing stress, you can help your body stop this unconscious and uncomfortable behavior.
Furthermore, your body is more likely to feel pain when you are heavily stressed out. When feeling other kinds of body ache aside for your neck and jaw, consider taking a day off or going on vacation to treat yourself. Trust us. You’ll get better in no time.
Stress also plays a big role in recovery. If you have been experiencing pain from both your neck and jaw area for quite some time despite treatment, it can be a somatic symptom of stress. The only way you can treat this particular pain is by avoiding any stressful activity for quite some time. Go to treatment facilities that can help you relax, maybe visit a psychologist to talk about the current problems you might have. Ensure that you are in good mental health so you can recover faster from such an illness.
Here are some ways you can handle the pain you are experiencing from your jaw and neck. These ways can also help you prevent any chronic illness that can sprout from it. So take care of yourself well, and you wouldn’t need to spend so much on treatment or surgery.
