An injury to the TM joint does not always involve pain at the site of the joint itself. The pain may be located at almost any part of the head or face. Most TMJ dysfunctions are due to trauma. When TMJ problems are suspected, muscles and joints are evaluated through x-ray and physical examination. Tests to evaluate TMJ disorder might include tomography, EMG, thermography, Doppler sonogram, or arthroscopy.
Some patients require injection of trigger points, tendons or ligaments.
In those cases where the pain does not abate, or recurs, radio frequency cautery procedures, in which the.pain-producing structure is denervated, may be considered. The majority of TMJ disorder patients, however, do not require surgical intervention. And nearly all of them find relief from the chronic, debilitating pain they've been suffering from for years. Klemons recently journeyed far from his Sayreville, NJ practice, limited to head and facial pain and TMJ disorder, to go to the Himalayan Mountains to treat needy Tibetan villagers. Although their makeshift clinic consisted of an operating table made from wooden planks, and instruments which were sterilized in big pots of boiling water, Dr. Klemons and the two trained Tibetans who guided him were welcomed by the villagers, who had heard in advance that men were coming to help the people in pain.