TMJ: temporomandibular joint (disorder)
The hinge joint connecting the lower jaw to the skull.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE - sorry this is a long post,
but I think this might be useful for any martial artists out
there to be aware of...

There are bones, ligaments, muscles, cartilage and fascia involved in the formation and proper functioning of this joint.
According to my dentist, people with TMJ have very strong massetter muscles, and when this joint and muscle function goes out of balance, this powerful muscle can spasm (relax your facial muscles, unclench your teeth, and gently prod around the cheek working back along the line where your teeth meet...I bet if you'd got a clicking episode you'd eventually locate a massetter that feels like concrete!)

You might be predisposed to have it, but HABITS can bring on episodes of clicking. You might have a problem with the formation of the joint.
Seek medical advice (dentist ideally) A dentist should be able to diagnose it, and refer you to your local hospital who can analyse exactly what factors are involved (i.e., if its to do with the bones forming the joint, the cartilage or the muscles)

IMPORTANT: TMJ often goes undiagnosed.

It is made worse by stress (literally like gritting your teeth)
It can be VERY painful. You can have extremely bad toothache from it.
At the extreme, you can lose teeth, crush and wear your teeth down, and end up having nerve blocks, chronic headaches, and the most radical option, is replacement of the joint - this is absolutely the last resort though. There are loads of effects that follow-on from the jaw symptoms. Similarly there
MAY be many contributory factors.
NOTE: The jaw is where the symptom manifests, but it doesn't
necessarily mean that's where your trigger starts - e.g., it could be a weak or injured neck muscle, the way you move, or it might be the way you sit to watch TV, read a book, eat pizza, AND SIGNIFICANTLY HOW YOU TRAIN!!!

The good news is, all your MA experience means you're well positioned to take action and remedy whatever your unique triggers are, so provided there's no organic condition causing it, you could potentially rid yourselves of it...but like my dentist says, be aware you have it, know what causes it, and even when you've eliminated symptoms from it, always be conscious that if you slip back into old habits, it could flare again...if its just a tendency your body has.

A mouth guard may need to be used at night, to protect your teeth. This can work for some, and not for others. NOTE: an NHS dentist should be able to refer you, but some of the treatment might have to be paid for...(eg. mouthguard)

SYMPTOMS: (not a comprehensive list)
clicking/crunching jaw
pain in jaw (not always present)
clenching teeth - especially at night
difficulty opening your mouth wide
difficulty closing your mouth
jaw locking open/shut
painful teeth
tired or sore jaw on waking
jaw deviates on opening/closing
frequent earaches, headaches and pressure behind eyes
muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders.
dizziness
cold hands and feet
Referred pain - pain around head, neck, shoulders, (headaches of all sorts),

TRIGGERS: (again, not complete)
you may have a co-existing condition.
jaw abnormality - get to a dentist!
allergies
surgery
medicines
poor nutrition
yawning too wide!
abuse of muscles
dental - poor bite, missing teeth
injury- whiplash, a blow to the head, face or jaw (even sometimes minor,
and not recent)
POOR POSTURE!
Bad Habits - chewing gum, biting pens, chewing on one side of your mouth,
nail biting etc., incorrect posture/tension in the tongue!

REMEDIES:
Immediately reduce your stress levels.
Temporarily reduce your intake of foods that require a lot of chewing,and don't bite into tough/hard foods. I was put on a soft foods diet, until pain subsided, then I could re-introduce slowly, always being aware that foods that take a lot of chewing can bring the spasm back.

The problem is, this is a joint that can't be rested easily!

See a dentist or medical expert to check it out, rule out any joint problems.

Best advice I received, from my dentist, and others who have it, is to consider it a body-wide condition! Postural alignment, habit and muscle balance are SO significant. Basically,
you've got a tendency for the TM-joint to be out of balance.
You have to work consciously to eliminate contributory habits, which ideally decrease unconscious habits that make it worse.

Finally, to the elbow problems: again, I have to say I'm not a doctor, and I can't possibly know for sure this is what's happening; but I think its significant you're both describing similar symptoms.

I'm not an expert, again I've got to say see your doctor for advice; because clicking and locking joints can sometimes be a sign of wear and tear on the joint, particularly 'loose bodies' like bits of cartilage lining...apparently....!

Another possible explanation for it though, particularly in the patterns you both describe (i.e., only after previous exercise -boxing - or only after so many reps) is actually muscle imbalance, or certain muscles being weak, particularly the muscles that help the arm extend (and integrity of supporting muscle groups and posture). If there are muscles that aren't being properly engaged, I suppose its possible the function of the joint may be undermined. It seems like some muscles in the arm are tiring, which points to other muscles and integrity throughout the movement being compromised???

Hope this helps?

Thankyou for doing that. I'm off to a dentist asap!

Postural alignment, habit and muscle balance may be a really good thing to look into. I'm one of those people who has lots of little pains that don't bother me so I ignore.

For the elbow that makes alot of sense. I'll start the process of this getting looked at.

And as for not liking what you had to say, you have actually made my day!

Thankyou very much for all the info.

You're very welcome. I wish you well, Samael and Oli - and hope
you both find the very best management and resolution of these
problems. I'll send you the exercise guidelines. Keep me posted how you get on.

As I understand it, the human body has immense wisdom; if we're
prepared to listen, these problems can be challenges that also
bring gifts.

Without getting hung up on it - and yet somehow finding the right balance - there is a way to heed the messages of the body and work with it.

Instead of always brushing aside everything your body communicates; realise your body intelligence may be a good teacher.

Learning to handle physical problems may even pull you into better practice - because the body is communicating something about how you do the form of any exercise. Remedying such problems may even bring you greater awareness, focus and sensitivity - and surely that's got to be a good thing all round?

Absolutely, thank you for sharing Caz. Look forward to your reply to my last email!

All the best

Oli