Jenni Soikkeli is a physiotherapist specialising in pain and symptoms in the jaw and neck region. She mainly sees clients suffering from neck, upper back and temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ). These problems include chronic neck pain, tension, stiffness, headaches, jaw pain and painful and tense muscles in the jaw. LymphaTouch has become part of Jenn’s toolkit, especially in treating pain patients.
“I use LymphaTouch to treat soft tissue tension, pain and scarring, especially trigger points in the muscles of the TMJ and occipital muscles. For the neck and TMJ area, I usually start with LymphaTouch, followed by manual treatment such as mobilisation or intra-oral treatment of the TMJ. If necessary, I return to LymphaTouch for further treatment. After the treatments, we go through rehabilitative movements, which are easier to perform once the extra tension has been dealt with.
LymphaTouch has clearly enhanced the impact of my own work and made it easier to work especially with pain patients. Even in just one session, results can be seen in the perception of pain in the TMJ muscles (VAS 8 -> 4-5), which is usually the reason for coming for treatment. In addition, positive changes can also be seen in the reduction of jaw joint deviation, improvement in quality of jaw joint movement and range of motion.
For example, there was a reduction or disappearance of clicking of the jaw joint and easier opening of the mouth or a clear increase in opening of the mouth after just one treatment session. 3-4 sessions of treatment also showed a reduction in the incidence of pain, where treatments were carried out every 1-2 weeks.
Most often, clients report that their jaw relaxes “dropping down” and the feeling of tension eases. On a scale of 0-10, I would give the device a full 10 and recommend it to all my colleagues!”.
TMJ pain patient case report
The client had a long history of pain (VAS 4-7) and stiffness in the jaw area for many years. She also had stiffness in her hips and pelvic area (tightness of the c-section), which has negatively affected her physical activity. The client visited the clinic a total of 5 times and the treatment time was 60 minutes, of which the LymphaTouch was used for about half of the time.
The aim of the physiotherapy sessions was to increase the elasticity of the scar and to treat the surrounding soft tissues in both the pelvic and TMJ areas. The treatment started with LymphaTouch, focusing on the treatment of the c-section scar and hip flexors, and was concluded with MET techniques. This was followed by treatment of the TMJ muscles with a device and manually. The LymphaTouch treatment used negative pressures of 90-180 mmHg depending on the area and use of mechanical vibration.
The client’s perception of pain was significantly reduced in the TMJ area and the quality of jaw joint movement improved. The client reported a significant reduction in nocturnal teeth grinding after 4 sessions. The scar tissue and the surrounding area is clearly more elastic and the abdominal area has lost swelling, the client noticed that the old trousers fit again. The range of motion of the hips increased and the activation of the torso became easier, making muscle training in the gym easier.
