How to stop lockjaw depends on its cause.
Treatment usually includes muscle relaxants to ease tension and specific exercises to help the jaw move more easily.
Physical therapy is crucial in treating lockjaw, as it helps improve jaw flexibility and reduce stiffness.
Lockjaw affects the whole jaw.
The “locking” of the jaw is usually felt equally on both sides of the face.
Lockjaw can come on suddenly, and the symptoms peak within a few hours.
Many nerves and muscles control the movement of your jaw.
Lockjaw typically causes your jaw to be partially open because of where these nerves and muscles are located.
You may also have trouble swallowing because you cannot control your mouth’s movement.
Drooling and dry mouth are also common.
The muscle spasm that occurs with lockjaw can be because of many things.
This joint is where the muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments that control your jaw meet.
The TMJ allows you to chew food, speak, and yawn.
TMJ disorders are chronic conditions that can lead to lockjaw.
When this happens, lockjaw can occur.
In rare instances, your nerve or muscle can become permanently damaged from an infection.
If it does, you might be more likely to experience recurrent episodes of lockjaw.
Rarely, anesthetics can cause a rare condition calledmalignant hyperthermia.
This complication is a severe reaction where a person gets a high body temperature andrapid heart rate.
In addition, it can involve muscle spasms, including lockjaw.
Lockjaw is now defined as the sustained locking of the jaw by any cause.
Lockjaw can be extremely painful and, in some cases, life-threatening.
Tetanus triggers when a person is exposed to a life-threateningneurotoxinthat’s released by a bacterium.
The bacterium,Clostridium tetani,iscommonly found in the environment.
Most people with tetanus experience it.
Bruxism can occur when a person is awake or asleep.
People with sleep bruxism commonly awake with restricted jaw movement.
Other Medical Conditions
Low calcium levels (hypocalcemia) are another common cause of lockjaw.
This complication can sometimes happen duringthyroid surgery.
Nerve or muscle diseases can also cause muscle spasms.
For an accurate diagnosis, it’s always best to consult a healthcare provider.
Should I Go to an ER for Lockjaw?
Go to the ER if your condition prevents you from breathing, drinking, or opening your mouth.
Diagnosis
Providers can diagnose lockjaw based on your medical history and a physical examination.
You may need to write down your symptoms or have someone else give your medical history to a provider.
Treatment
Lockjaw can often be treated with an oral or injectedmuscle relaxant.
Physical therapy is also commonly part of a treatment plan for lockjaw.
If you have another condition that’s causing lockjaw, you’ll need treatment for that as well.
For example, if you have an infection, you may need to take antibiotics.
The injections do not cause the body-wide side effects that can happen with medications.
Some exercises may involve a jaw-mobilizing machine, which is often recommended for TMJ disorders.
They will help tailor your exercise regimen to fit your specific treatment needs.
However, longstanding lockjaw after radiation therapy can be very hard to reverse.
Prevention
If you have experienced lockjaw, you are at risk of developing it again.
It’s important to discuss prevention with your healthcare provider.
Preventative strategies for lockjaw may include avoiding medications that trigger it, treating TMJ, or practicing jaw exercises.
Summary
Lockjaw is a condition where the muscles in the jaw affect its movement.
The mouth is not able to open as widely as usual, which can affect speech and swallowing.
Physical therapy, at-home exercises, and medication are common components of a treatment plan for lockjaw.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Tetanus.
Head Pain Institute.5 common lockjaw symptoms you oughta know.
Penn Medicine.Tetanus (lockjaw).
Wang CP, Fang YY.Trismus, xerostomia and nutrition status in nasopharyngeal carcinoma survivors with radiation.Euro J Cancer Care.
2016 Mar;25(3).
A Narrative Review.Int J Environ Res Public Health.
2021;18(15):7807.
2016;15(Suppl 2):382384. doi:10.1007/s12663-016-0927-1
World Health Organization.Tetanus.
US Department of Health & Human Services.Tetanus (lockjaw).
Garrett A, Hawley J.SSRI-associated bruxism.Neurol Clin Pract.
2019 Nov;8(11):1-5.
Ortiz J, Ghani M, Cox A, et al.Stiff-person syndrome: A treatment update and new directions.Cureus.
2020 Dec;12(12):e11995.
doi:10.7759/cureus.11995
Penn Dental Medicine.Signs of a tooth infectionand what to do about them.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Preventing trismus.
Shah N, Bansal N, Logani A.Recent advances in imaging technologies in dentistry.World J Radiol.
2014;6(10):794-807. doi:10.4329/wjr.v6.i10.794
Poornima G, Poornima C.Trismus.J Health Sci & Res.
2016;82:g8.
2020 Oct;151(1):249-255. doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2020.08.024
National Institutes of Health.TMJ disorders.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough vaccination.
pii: S1879-7296(19)30059-6. doi:10.1016/j.anorl.2018.10.018.
pii: S0278-2391(19)30256-3. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2019.02.044.
[Epub ahead of print]
