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Does Weather Make Jaw Pain Worse? Poll Results

If you’ve been a part of a pain support group, Facebook page, or have read a blog by a chronic pain patient, you have probably seen comments discussing the weather and pain. Here at TMJ Hope, our Facebook page frequently contains comments from patients who are going through a rough flare-up, and many times they mention the weather being a factor. So we wondered…. does weather really make jaw pain worse? or is it just an old wive’s tale? Here is what we found…

559 chronic pain patients in four cities were surveyed by Dr. Robert N. Jamison and colleagues at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston. The findings revealed that “weather affects pain no matter where people live”. Dr. Jamison said, “the findings suggest that our bodies adjust to local climate and when changes happen in that climate, we react to them with an increase in pain.”  He went on to further explain, “If you spend two weeks in Florida sipping pina coladas, you may feel a lot less pain than you did shoveling snow at home in Boston. But if you move to Florida, and your body adjusts to that climate, when the temperature drops, you may hurt just as much as you did when the weather changed in Boston.”

The take home here is that, possibly, instead of searching for a warm dry climate (like we’ve always thought), you should instead stay where you are (since your body has already adjusted) or look for an area that has a constant climate – one that does not change often.


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TMJ Hope Weekly Wrap Up

TMJ NewsHave lots of people in your family been sick lately? Im finally getting over the flu…. Still tired, but wanting to get back to life!
Today we are introducing a new weekly post… A weekly wrap up. Every Friday, we will cover any TMJ related research or health related news that we feel you might be interested in, as well as sharing anything that has been going on over the week here at TMJ Hope…either here on the blog, on the forum, or on our Facebook page.
If there is ever anything you think your fellow TMJ Hope readers would like to know, maybe an article you came across or some news you think we would all like to read, please submit it!
First, here is what we were up to here on TMJ Hope this week:
State of the TMJ Hope Union – please stop by and let us know how we can help you in 2011!
And now, on to the health news:
New Painkiller With No Side Effects or Addictive Qualities May Be Ready in a Year – According to researchers at Stony Brook University, a new painkiller that blocks the sodium ion channel involved in the transmission of pain, may be available within the next two years. Scientists at Stony Brook found that this drug could control pain without the same side effects and addictive qualities of opioid drugs. Preparations of the drug in oral and topical forms are being developed now in England & Canada, and a US company announced recently that they have entered Phase I clinical trials as well.Read More »TMJ Hope Weekly Wrap Up

What's New in TMJ Disorder and Pain Research?

Here’s a list of studies and research related to TMJ disorder that has been published since our last update about the OPPERA TMJ Research and Newsstudy.

  1. Orthodontics for treating temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders – July 2010 – The Cochrane Collaboration – This was a review of the existing studies, trying to establish if braces reduced symptoms in patients with TMJ disorder. In the end, there was not enough data for them to analyze to find answers. Their conclusion: “There is no evidence about the effects of different types of orthodontic braces for problems associated with the joint between the lower jaw and skull.” It also said that there is an “urgent need” for more studies in this area. Link to the Study

  2. Acupuncture for temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review – Spring 2010 – Journal of Orofacial Pain – This a study done by Korean researchers, in which nineteen reports were analyzed to see if acupuncture was effective to treat symptoms of TMJ disorder.  The scientists found that there was “moderate” evidence that acupuncture was effective in treating TMD symptoms. This is good, and seems to point to acupuncture being an option for treatment of TMJ disorder symptoms! Similar to the above study, more research was recommended, including larger sample sizes and longer term studies.  Link to the study.

    3. Read More »What's New in TMJ Disorder and Pain Research?

What’s New in TMJ Disorder and Pain Research?

Here’s a list of studies and research related to TMJ disorder that has been published since our last update about the OPPERA TMJ Research and Newsstudy.

  1. Orthodontics for treating temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders – July 2010 – The Cochrane Collaboration – This was a review of the existing studies, trying to establish if braces reduced symptoms in patients with TMJ disorder. In the end, there was not enough data for them to analyze to find answers. Their conclusion: “There is no evidence about the effects of different types of orthodontic braces for problems associated with the joint between the lower jaw and skull.” It also said that there is an “urgent need” for more studies in this area. Link to the Study

  2. Acupuncture for temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review – Spring 2010 – Journal of Orofacial Pain – This a study done by Korean researchers, in which nineteen reports were analyzed to see if acupuncture was effective to treat symptoms of TMJ disorder.  The scientists found that there was “moderate” evidence that acupuncture was effective in treating TMD symptoms. This is good, and seems to point to acupuncture being an option for treatment of TMJ disorder symptoms! Similar to the above study, more research was recommended, including larger sample sizes and longer term studies.  Link to the study.

    3. Read More »What’s New in TMJ Disorder and Pain Research?