If you suffer from constant headaches and neck pain, and don’t seem to be improving from treatment of your neck, it may be worth talking to your physiotherapist about TMJ Dysfunction.
Your TMJ is the Temperomandibular joint, and is located where your jaw joins on to your head. Due to it’s close proximity to the upper cervical spine, and the nerves coming from it, dysfunction or instability of this joint causes muscular spasm in the jaw, side of the head, and upper neck and usually gives rise to gripping, unrelenting headache.
Habits that contribute to TMJ dysfunction are clenching/grinding of the jaw (often during sleep), chewing gum, cracking the jaw, resting chin on hands etc.
With appropriate treatment and restrengthening, this can be eliminated and you can be headache free, meaning your days of chewing panadol will be over!
Talk to your physiotherapist if you think this is a problem for you.