Lori
Lori came to 3DPT West Berlin in September 2024 following a total temporomandibular joint replacement (Jaw replacement surgery)! This is not a very common surgery, but it is used when someone has arthritis or joint damage that limits their function and causes pain with eating, talking, and other uses of the jaw. Lori has dealt with jaw pain since her 20s and has even had a few other surgeries over the years to help with pain. She was finally recommended to get jaw replacement surgery in May of 2024 and since then has been doing great! The road to recovery has been long and challenging, but filled with lots of laughs.
After surgery, Lori had good improvements with her pain, but ended up with a facial nerve palsy with a ton of weakness through her muscles. Not only was she having a hard time smiling, blinking, raising her eyebrows or expressing herself, but she couldn’t eat some favorites like bagels, pizza, ribs, and steak. That’s when Lori came to 3DPT West Berlin to work with Dr. Alyssa McMinn who is specially trained in the treatment of 𝙏𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 Dysfunction, or TMD. (TMD is a medical condition of the jaw that can present itself in many different ways and with various levels of severity. The primary symptoms include, but are not limited to, painful opening/closing of the jaw, pain with speaking or eating, headaches, neck pain, and/or increased tension of the muscles of the face. There are many different factors that can contribute to TMD like stress or recovery from jaw replacement surgery!)
In physical therapy Lori is always up for a challenge whether it’s putting electrical stimulation on her face, making facial expressions in a mirror, or playing the game “what can Alyssa put in a glove for Lori to bite down on today”. She has seen massive progress in her mobility, strength, and facial muscle activation. Lori is still working on increasing strength so she can eat some of those tougher foods, but most people wouldn’t even know how big of a surgery she had!
Lori was chosen to be our patient of the month because she has been an inspiration to everyone in the clinic! Not only has she made massive amounts of progress, but she always stays so positive! Alyssa and Lori have had many celebrations over what would seem like a small task of giving someone a wink or eating a new food, and even some of the other patients in the clinic have commented on Lori’s progress! Lori has been a champion patient not only with her progress physically, but also her positive attitude.
Here’s what Lori had to say about her TMD journey at her time at 3DPT West Berlin:
1. Tell us about what brought you to physical therapy and how this affected your life.
I had a total right jaw replacement on May 24, 2024. The surgery left the right side of my face paralyzed as well as tightness in the right jaw. After 3 months, the surgeon agreed to start physical therapy. I contacted 3DPT because I had done physical therapy for my jaws there before. Working with Alyssa has made a phenomenal change in my status. The tightness in my jaw has decreased considerably and I now have movement on the right side of my face. The feeling in the area around my mouth has pretty much returned and we continue working on the forehead and cheek. I feel that both these areas are continuing to progress in healing, but “very slowly”. Prior to physical therapy, I was extremely self-conscious of the way I looked. I did not want to go out by myself because I felt people stared at me. Now, I don’t give it a second thought. Unless you look very closely, you cannot even tell that my face is still partially paralyzed. I had to go to a new doctor last month, and he remarked that he couldn’t even tell I had the surgery.
2. Tell us a little about your recovery process. What has been the hardest part of your therapy? What was your favorite part of physical therapy?
My recovery progress could be described as “slow and steady wins the race”. Alyssa continues to add her “creative exercises” to my routine. She has 101 interesting ideas for Thera bands (lol).
My favorite part of physical therapy is the camaraderie with the other clients and staff. Everyone cheers on each other so it is a very friendly environment. I also like that I am included in the therapy plan. Alyssa constantly asks how I am feeling and modifies the day’s exercises based on my status.
The hardest part of therapy is remaining optimistic that the paralysis will finally go away. The progress has been slow, and there have been a few setbacks. I acknowledge the setbacks but try to keep accentuating the positive growth I have had. Some of the exercises in my routine are difficult, but I push through them knowing that I need to do them to get to my optimum goal.
3. What advice would you give to other people who suffered similar injuries or going through the same situation?
Some people ask me about my TMD as they are having similar issues. My advice always is to seek medical advice as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more damage you can do. By the time I was diagnosed, the damage was so severe that I was ready for jaw replacement. I also tell people that you need to feel comfortable with your doctor. If you do not feel comfortable with a particular doctor, go find another one.
4. Why would you recommend 3 Dimensional Physical Therapy?
The environment at 3DPT is very friendly and accepting. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, but approachable. They never “talk down” to patients. The therapists watch as patients complete exercises to make sure they are done correctly. Each patient’s success is a success for the therapist too, and they celebrate it as such.
5. What is you looking forward to this spring now that you’re feeling better?
I am looking forward to feeling healthy for the first time in a very long time and not worrying if I will have to cancel my plans due to a “jaw headache”. I am also looking forward to summer barbecues and putting my new biting skills to work on summer favorites like barbecue chicken, burgers, and corn on the cob!
Curious what physical therapy for TMD might look like?
Check out this video of 3DPT West Berlin front desk employee extraordinaire, TrinityRae, who is being treated for jaw pain and clicking!
As part of TrinityRae’s session you’ll see that she and Alyssa work on her jaw, neck, and thoracic spine. Each treatment session may change depending on how she is feeling that day but it always starts with some manual therapy to release the muscles around the jaw, then some postural retraining for both her jaw and neck, and a thoracic manipulation to aid with mobility and strength through her mid back!
Physical therapy is the best way to address TMD and related symptoms! From massage, electrical stimulation, muscle training, internal joint mobilization, and cervical spine treatment techniques each program is specialized to you. If you’re suffering with jaw pain or clicking that limits your ability to eat, talk, sleep, or your quality of life, PT can help!
Click HERE to make an appointment with a 3DPT physical therapist