Has anyone had it attack their jaws or neck?
I think a lot of us have. I just mentioned myofascial release therapy in another discussion. Hopefully you can find a good physical therapist. I'm just getting over neck pain that's lasted about 2.5 months. Nothing helped it...now it seems to be finally fizzling out, and that's good because my SI pain is driving me nuts.. I hope that'll fizzle out in a couple months, too-- just in time for my daughter's wedding!!!
Unfortunately, PsA causes so many pains, and they seem to migrate around the body--so it's a never-ending battle. :-(
Do you take a biologic?
I have gotten it in my jaw making eating challenging at times and I get it in the 2 little knobs under your ears. I am not sure what they are called, I call them my Frankenstein bolts. Massage, hot packs and Salonpas work really well for mine. Mine do not hurt all the time. They flare and then it stops.
Oh yes, michael, you triggered my memory about pain I had in my jaw a little over a year ago. My dentist told me it was an infected saliva gland and he sent me to another specialist and he put me on antibiotics, but wasn't sure if it was infected. This sounds weird, but I usually held my cell phone on that ear and it would get really hot. I thought maybe that was the cause of this pain, and the pain did eventually go away after I stopped putting the phone up to my ear and just used speaker phone. Come to think of it, maybe that's the cause of my ear ringing!
I've had huge problems with my jaw joints, starting when I woke up from surgery with my jaws stuck shut. Two surgeries on one joint and one on the other did seem to help stop the deterioration, but I've had 30 years of chronic pain and dysfunction, as well as very limited opening.
What's mind-boggling weird is this: I've finally found a biologic that's doing me some good. After a few months on it I have almost twice the opening I've had for, literally, decades. Guess my rheumy was right when she said the TMJ problems were probably an early manifestation of PsA.
If you are having problems, Moxie, be judicious about who treats you. Lotta quacks in that field.
I do thank everyone--and hope I did say thanks way back when this was posted.
Hi Moxie,
I had a sort of MOT last week. Dentist followed by opticians. Dentist said my jaw damn near pops out of its socket on the right side when I open my mouth. I thought, hmm, PsA? It doesn't hurt though, if anything the other side hurts more. Then the optician said I had dry eye. Guess what he attributed that to?
I decided not to bother visiting any cardiologists, psychiatrists, podiatrists, philatelists or any other 'ists'. 'Cos I already know what they'd say.
Yep--my right jaw pops--usually at night when I am laying on that side. I have the eye problems too---and the cardiac issues. All are manageable--at least for me. For me, when this all first started, I was so very miserable for so long that I was considering opting out of all of it. Once that horrid pain was manageable, all the other aches, pains and complications just seem minor in comparison. I know a tougher time is coming again but it surely can't get as bad as it was.
I just had two teeth popped loose from inflammation............... One got abscessed. We managed to save the teeth between several visits to "ists" and oral surgeons.
Glad you saved them.
My periodontal disease ('moderate to severe' 4 years ago) is now virtually gone. They don't like to say it has gone completely as that's not meant to happen but no more dire warnings about losing all my teeth. 4 years ago I started treatment for PsA.
tntlamb said:
I just had two teeth popped loose from inflammation............... One got abscessed. We managed to save the teeth between several visits to "ists" and oral surgeons.
I've had clicky jaw for forever, but it never used to be associated with pain until recently (in the past 4 or 5 years or so). Some days I have a hard time eating very large sandwiches or burgers because my jaw doesn't want to open that large. I've always associated the pain and limited mobility to my PsA, but didn't know other people had problems with it too.