Temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are a very common system in America. When you talk, chew, or swallow, the joints work hard. With frequent use, they are also at risk of injuries or other forms of disorders. TMJ disorder arises when something wrong happens with the joints or the jaw muscles. The disorders can occur due to injuries, poorly aligned teeth, overuse, or inflammation caused by other diseases like arthritis. Some of the symptoms you may experience include pain while chewing, clicking or popping sounds as you open or close your mouth, regular headaches, difficulty closing or opening your mouth, pain in the ear and jaw. To reduce the risk of TMJ, you can perform a TMJ goldfish exercise with our TMJ Exerciser.
There are several exercises you can perform using our TMJ exercisers for TMJ relief. Goldfish exercise can help rehabilitate or prevent TMJ. Goldfish exercises can simply perform in any place and focus on strengthening your joints. There are two variations of Goldfish Exercise you can do, partial opening or full opening of the mouth. Here are steps on how to perform each of the two goldfish exercise TMJ variations using our jaw exerciser.
Goldfish Exercise Partial Opening
- Stand in front of your mirror. Put your index finger on your temporomandibular joints and the other index fingers on your chin.
- Using your index finger, drop the lower jaw a bit and close it up. You may feel mild resistance, but no pain. You can do a variation of this TMJ exercise by placing one finger on each of the TMJ while dropping your lower jaw halfway and then close again.
- Ensure you open the jaw in a straight line, and allow your tongue to stay in place against the back of your incisors.
Reps and sets
- Perform three sets of ten reps and do this six times daily.
Goldfish Exercise – Full Opening
- Stand in front of your mirror and then place your index finger on each TMJ.
- Put your tongue against the back of your upper side incisors.
- Low your jaw and then close it up.
The other variation of this TMJ exercise is placing your tongue on the upper surface and then put your middle or pointer on the front of the chin. Use the finger of your other hand and put it in front of your ear where the temporomandibular joints are located. Open the mouth partially and then close it. Hold it for three to five seconds and alternate on both sides and repeat five to ten times.
Reps and sets
- Do three sets of eight reps five times a day.
The significant difference between Goldfish exercises partial and the full opening is that for partial you open the mouth half while for the full opening you do open it completely.
