Living With TMD
Overlapping Conditions
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Oct 5, 2019
To analyze cervical tenderness scores (CTS) in patients with various temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and in controls and to examine associations of CTS with demographic and clinical parameters.
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Oct 4, 2019
The esophagus is a roughly ten-inch hollow tube that descends from your throat through the diaphragm into the stomach. Normally, it is a one-way street transporting food you swallow to the stomach for digestion. But in GERD— Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease— the flow can reverse so that stomach contents (including gastric acids) are regurgitated upwards to cause a burning sensation (heartburn), nausea, pain and other distressing symptoms.
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Aug 20, 2019
The Chronic Pain Research Alliance, an initiative of The TMJ Association, in partnership with the International Pelvic Pain Society, is pleased to announce the release of our newly developed Continuing Medical Education (CME) program on Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions.
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Jun 13, 2019
It is hardly surprising that the chronic pain and limitations in function that many long-time TMJ patients experience can be accompanied by a state of depression, a sense of exhaustion and hopelessness.
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May 30, 2018
Sjӧgren's Syndrome seems to play a role in temporomandibular joint disorders.
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Apr 20, 2018
A study in the International Journal of Dental Research reporting the latest update on Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) noted two thirds of BMS patients also had Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD).
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Feb 14, 2018
Fibromyalgia is one of the overlapping pain conditions with TMD. This article appeared in Fibromyalgia News Today on January 15, 2018. A new study suggests a hyperreactive brain network may be the underlying cause of chronic pain in fibromyalgia.
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Feb 14, 2018
There may be a correlation between dry eye and chronic pain in the US military veteran population as is evident by a recent study. Ocular pain was most strongly associated with headaches, tension headaches, migraines, temporomandibular joint disorders, pelvic pain, central pain syndrome, and fibromyalgia in the veteran patient population.
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Dec 14, 2017
Hate headaches? The distress you feel is not all in your -- well, head. People consistently rate pain of the head, face, eyeballs, ears and teeth as more disruptive, and more emotionally draining, than pain elsewhere in the body.
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Dec 9, 2017
There has long been as association between migraine headaches and vascular (blood vessel) dysfunction of some kind, underscored by epidemiological studies and other research. New evidence for a genetic connection now comes from the analysis of several large data sets of each condition based on Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS).
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Dec 8, 2017
In a recent study, researchers found that patients with chronic migraines which usually occur for more than 15 days a month are likely to experience three times more severe symptoms of Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) than patients with an episodic migraine.
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Oct 2, 2017
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) held three meetings this summer with the goal of developing the first public-private partnership (PPP) to develop safe and effective treatments for chronic pain, as well as new treatments for opioid addiction and overdose.
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Jun 7, 2017
This brochure addresses what are Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs), how COPCs are diagnosed, the complexity of the chronic pain experience, and how to work with your health care provider to develop a treatment plan. It is available by postal ma
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May 31, 2017
Our headline is adopting the comic strip convention of using symbols to denote swear words because we are intrigued by a report that swearing may have some health benefits.
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May 30, 2017
Opioids are increasingly used for treatment of chronic pain. However, they are only effective in a subset of patients and have multiple side effects. Thus, studies using biomarkers for response are highly warranted.
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May 29, 2017
This brochure addresses what are Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs), how COPCs are diagnosed, the complexity of the chronic pain experience, and how to work with your health care provider to develop a treatment plan.
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Mar 6, 2017
Last year we shared with you a study in which investigators found patients with more severe and chronic TMD are likely to experience other persistent pain conditions in other parts of the body, seemingly unrelated to problems in the jaw or face. Yet patients often do not mention these "overlapping" or "comorbid" pain conditions when they see a dentist or health care provider.
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Mar 4, 2017
The aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution of the most common comorbid conditions associated with chronic temporomandibular disorders, and the pharmacological agents which play an integral role in the overall management of temporomandibular joint disorders. Abstract: INTROD
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Dec 17, 2016
The following article in Medscape refers to TMD and some of its overlapping pain conditions as functional pains and proposes to change that description. Medscape is the leading online resource for physicians and healthcare professionals worldwide, offeri
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Oct 26, 2016
Our 2016 TMJA online survey results show that 26% of respondents suffer from migraine headaches; they are one of the overlapping chronic pain conditions associated with TMD.
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May 1, 2016
There is nothing new about temporomandibular disorders (TMD), conditions of pain and dysfunction affecting the jaw joint and/or its associated muscles and tissues. Headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, and other orofacial pain (OFP) conditions have been around forever. There is nothing new about temporomandibular disorders (TMD), conditions of pain and dysfunction affecting the jaw joint and/or its associated muscles and tissues. Headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, and other o
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Apr 29, 2016
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the 2016 Annual NIH Pain Consortium Symposium to be held on May 31st and June 1st, 2016, NIH Campus, Natcher Auditorium, Bethesda, MD. The 2016 symposium, "Innovative Models and Methods," will highlight advanc
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Mar 31, 2016
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released the National Pain Strategy, outlining the federal government's first coordinated plan for reducing the burden of chronic pain that affects millions of Americans. Developed by a diverse team of experts from around the nation, the National Pain Strategy is a road map toward achieving a system of care in which all people receive appropriate, high quality and evidence-based care for pain.
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Mar 29, 2016
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a consumer warning regarding several safety issues with the entire class of opioid pain medicines. The new safety risks include potentially harmful interactions with numerous other medications, problems with the adrenal glands, and decreased sex hormone levels. The FDA is requiring companies to make changes to the opioid medication labels warning consumers of these risks as described below.
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Mar 10, 2016
A group of drugs being developed to treat mood disorders could also relieve chronic pain, finds new University College London (UCL) research funded by the Medical Research Council. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, reveals how a protein that shapes the body's response to stress also drives chronic pain and so offers new targets for future pain treatments.
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Mar 1, 2016
We know that many TMD patients also experience migraines and other headaches as overlapping pain conditions. The following is a summary of a news article from the January 8, 2016 edition of Science magazine by Emily Underwood. We found it informative and
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Feb 10, 2016
Cutting Edge - COPCs Research Advances, is a new electronic newsletter published by the Chronic Pain Research Alliance, an initiative of The TMJ Association. Developed to keep the medical-scientific community abreast of recent research advances, this pub
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Feb 5, 2016
The following article includes excerpts from a Missouri State University news article about the work of Dr. Paul Durham, who has participated in past TMJA scientific meetings. We are happy to share with you the progress his lab is making. "
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Jan 24, 2016
Currently, bills addressing opioid misuse, overdose and addiction are quickly moving through Congress. However, legislation proposed to date has failed to include a critical component - funding for vital pain research to elucidate the causes and mechanis
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Oct 30, 2015
The Chronic Pain Research Alliance (CPRA), an initiative of TMJ Association, in collaboration with the U.S. Pain Foundation and the National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association, recently conducted a survey to assess how those living with chronic pain disorders, including temporomandibular disorders, feel about current pain research efforts
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Oct 14, 2015
The TMJ Association's last three scientific meetings have highlighted a paradigm shift in the way temporomandibular disorders are perceived and studied. They are now characterized as complex conditions like hypertension or diabetes, not limited to a dental or jaw problem in isolation.
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May 12, 2015
The OPPERA study has demonstrated that pelvic pain is moderately associated with Temporomandibualr Disorders. Given this relationship we are publicizing this new NIH research opportunity. The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic P
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Apr 1, 2015
In general, women are more sensitive to pain than men, and a greater number of chronic pain syndromes are more prevalent in women, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and temporomandibular disorder (TMD).
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Feb 5, 2015
In September 2014, a meeting sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium was held to: Identify resources needed to enhance integration of existing data and optimize collection of data in the future to best advance research on ove
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Jun 21, 2013
Dr. Barbara Reed, a professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, discusses the Michigan Woman-to-Woman Health Study and its findings. Temporomandibular disorders are one of the categories of pain conditions included in the stu
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Jun 9, 2013
One of the most active and productive research teams studying TMD is a group at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill led by William Maixner. Readers may recognize his name as the principal investigator for the OPPERA study to determine risk fa
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Mar 28, 2013
Last summer, the National Institutes of Health convened a first-ever federal workshop on overlapping pain conditions. The conditions discussed were: temporomandibular disorders, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic headache, int
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Nov 16, 2012
We are thrilled to have the opportunity to present our final proposal, Partnering to End Pain, Monday, November 19th at the Collaborate | Activate Innovation Challenge final event in Washington, D.C. The TMJ Association is proud to be partnering w
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Nov 7, 2012
On October 18, 2012, The TMJ Association's (TMJA) President & Co-Founder, Terrie Cowley, traveled to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) where she attended an open house gala and symposium entitled, “Translation Pai
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Nov 2, 2012
The finding that many temporomandibular disorders (TMD) patients also experience other chronic disabling and painful conditions such as fibromyalgia and/or irritable bowel syndrome has been highlighted at the last two TMJA scientific meetings. Now the Na
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Sep 28, 2012
Earlier this summer, at the Partners in Patient Health Forum, Sanofi US, part of a worldwide pharmaceutical company based in Paris, launched the Collaborate | Activate Innovation Challenge. Collaborate | Activate is the first challenge rooted in th
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Jul 31, 2012
The focus of The TMJ Association's (TMJA) last three scientific meetings has been on Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) and pain conditions that a patient might get before or after being diagnosed with TMD. The recommendations from these meetings
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Feb 24, 2012
Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a hearing, Pain in America: Exploring Challenges to Relief, on February 14, 2012. This hearing highlighted and followed-up on the June 2011 Institute
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Feb 9, 2012
Since the release of the June 2011 landmark Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on chronic pain, The TMJ Association (TMJA) has been working diligently with other patient advocacy and medical professional groups to encourage the U.S. Senate Committee on
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Jan 19, 2012
The TMJA held its 6th international scientific conference June 5-7, 2011, at the Federation of Societies for Experimental Biology Conference Center in Bethesda, MD. The topic: Comorbid Chronic Pain Conditions—Mechanism, Diagnosis and Tre
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Dec 1, 2011
We bring your attention to two new funding opportunities recently announced by the The National Institutes of Health. Please note the inclusion of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMJD) as a comorbid condition. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatig
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Jul 27, 2011
The TMJA joined consumers, health professionals, advocates, and media on June 29 in Washington D.C. for the Institute of Medicine (IOM) press conference and the release of the executive summary and full report, Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for
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Jun 28, 2011
Pain affects more than 116 million Americans annually. It is a major cause of work disability and one of the most common reasons for taking medications. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 called for the Institute of Medicine (IOM
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Jun 16, 2011
Chronic migraine and tension type headaches are experienced by many TMJ patients. According to our survey, the two conditions TMJ patients experienced before Temporomandibular Disorders were chronic headaches and allergies. Before onset of TM Disor
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Mar 1, 2011
New research offers a possible way to tell apart two conditions with similar symptoms. One disorder is chronic fatigue syndrome. The other is neurologic post-treatment Lyme disease.
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Jul 22, 2010
We recently learned of the results of a research study which found irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) "shows structural changes to the brain, which places IBS in the category of other pain disorders, such as lower back pain, temporomandibular joint diso
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Jul 20, 2010
The following article appears in Fibromyalgia AWARE magazine, Spring 2010, Vol. 22. Genetics Link Overlapping Conditions Many people with fibromyalgia also experience migraine and depression; now a study from the Netherlands reports that these two
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Jun 18, 2010
Last month, the Overlapping Conditions Alliance successfully launched the Campaign to End Chronic Pain in Women. There is already growing Congressional interest in this effort, but we need your help today! If your U.S. Representative hears from a number
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Jun 10, 2010
The TMJ Association is excited to be part of the Campaign to End Chronic Pain in Women, an advocacy campaign fighting to end discrimination against and improve care for women suffering from neglected and dismissed chronic pain conditions. T
To view or order a free booklet about TMJ Disorders, visit the National Institutes of Health website.
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Office of Research on Women's Health