@drjoedamiani: 🔥 Jaw clicking, popping, or shifting when you open? You may be missing this movement. Your jaw doesn't only move up and down. It also needs controlled side-to-side movement—and losing that control can contribute to stiffness, shifting, or clicking. Here’s what’s happening... ⚡ When you open your mouth, the TMJ first rotates and then translates forward to achieve full opening. ⚡ Your ability to move the jaw side to side (lateral excursion) also requires translation at the TMJ. As a general clinical reference, lateral movement is roughly 25% of your maximum mouth opening—so a 40 mm opening would correspond to about 10 mm to each side. ⚡ Practicing lateral movement can help retrain the mobility, coordination, and muscular control needed for smooth jaw opening and closing. So instead of ONLY stretching your mouth open or massaging tight muscles, work on the movement itself. ✅ STEP 1: Side-to-side control Use a tongue depressor as a visual guide and slowly shift your jaw through a comfortable range in both directions. ✅ STEP 2: Add resistance Progress to light resistance while gradually increasing how far you open, then slowly control the movement back down. This challenges the pterygoid muscles involved in jaw movement. ✅ STEP 3: Train diagonals Combine opening with a side shift while applying very light finger resistance, then repeat on the opposite side. The goal is to restore translation, strength, and motor control so your TMJ can move more smoothly through opening, closing, and side-to-side movements. #JawPain #TMJ #JawClicking #TMD #JawExercises

Dr. Joe Damiani, DPT

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Region: US

Monday 24 August 2026 19:35:36 GMT