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Rocabado TMJ Exercises

Prof. Mariano Rocabado, DPT, is a specialist in craniomandibular and craniovertebral dysfunctions. His work with TMJ is very extensive, and he has developed an exercise program that is taught to physical therapists all over the world as an accepted way to help the muscles and soft tissues of the TMJ area regain their original length and tension. These exercises should help to restore a more normal joint mobility in TMJ patients. Prof. Rocabado recommends these exercises be done 6 times each session 6 times a day for the most benefit.

  1. Tongue Positioning for TMJ Patients

    • To reteach the tongue proper positioning, the patient should rest the front of the tongue on the roof of their mouth, just behind the front teeth. Then the patient should make a clicking sound with the tongue 6 times, then rest the tongue (holding it there) while breathing in through the nose for 6 deep breaths.

    Controlling the Rotation of the TMJ When Opening the Mouth

    • With the tongue in that same position (resting just behind the front teeth on the roof of the mouth), the patient should then open their mouth (keeping the tongue firmly planted) 6 times. Keeping the tongue attached to the roof of the mouth prevents the patient from rolling the bottom jaw backwards and encourages opening of the mouth straight up and down.

    Positional Re-Teaching for the Jaw

    • The patient should open, close and move the bottom jaw left and right while applying slight resistance. Hold each position while keeping the resistance applied. This will help to train the muscles of the jaw to move in straight lines and re-teach correct posture.

    Head Posture in Relation to Neck

    • Most patients of TMJ have a forward leaning head posture which results in misalignment of the cervical spine. This causes more problems so exercising the neck in a nodding exercise helps to strengthen these muscles. Flex the neck forward and backwards 6 times.

    Chin Tuck

    • Tucking in the chin while sitting with back straight helps to extend and stretch the neck muscles. Have the patient do this 6 times and hold the extension for 6 seconds each.

    Shoulder Pull

    • To continue stretching and re-guiding the muscles, the patient should now pull the shoulders back, hold for 6 seconds and pull them forward holding for 6 seconds. Repeat this procedure 6 times.

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