{"title":"Maxillofacial rehabilitation","image":"https://pes-luxembourg.lu/bascharage/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/07/Reeducation-Maxillo-Faciale-300x290.jpg","content":"\n**A jaw that clicks, locks or hurts? Teeth clenched at night, difficulty opening your mouth, headaches or neck tension that seem to start from the joint? At Pôle Equilibre & Santé in Bascharage, maxillofacial rehabilitation tackles the source of the problem — the temporomandibular joint — to reduce pain, regain mobility and silence joint noises, with lasting solutions.** Each programme is built from your assessment, medical instructions and your goals.\n\n## The jaw joint: why does it cause problems?\n\nThe temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is one of the most mobile and most used in the body — and also one of the least stable. Like any joint, it has articular surfaces, a capsule, ligaments, muscles, tendons and a disc. All these structures can suffer: osteoarthritis, inflammation, capsular retraction, muscle tension or blockage related to a displacement of the disc.\n\nThese disorders are frequent: according to studies, 30 to 50% of adults experience them at some point in their lives. The cause is most often multifactorial, but excessive or poorly coordinated muscle tension is frequently involved. Trauma, poor posture or certain dental treatments can also trigger this pain — and the reverse is true: some headaches and neck problems are linked to the TMJ. Our specialised site [kine-machoire.lu](https://kine-machoire.lu/) details this approach: an assessment of the TMJ, the masticatory muscles and cervical posture, then a personalised programme.\n\n## Who is it for?\n\nMaxillofacial rehabilitation is for anyone bothered by their jaw in daily life. It can help with headaches, neck or facial pain, pain when chewing, clenching the teeth or yawning, cracking, clicking, a feeling of friction or blockage, reduced movement, a change in how the teeth fit together, or numbness and tingling around the jaw.\n\nAn occasional, painless click is nothing to worry about: it corresponds to the disc returning to its place. A click audible with every chewing movement, on the other hand, deserves attention, because the joint then becomes more prone to locking or wearing out. It is far simpler to correct early than to wait for the problem to worsen and for compensations to set in: consulting quickly means making rehabilitation easier.\n\nCare also comes into play after a surgical or traumatic event: arthroscopy, dislocation or fracture of the TMJ, fractures of the facial mass or the mandible, osteotomy, post-traumatic facial paralysis. The goals are then to regain mouth opening, to reduce pain, contractures and swelling, and to recover normal muscle strength.\n\n## Understand before treating: the assessment\n\nBefore any technique, the physiotherapist seeks to understand and characterise your pain, to analyse its parameters and to trace its origin through the structures of the jaw, the masticatory muscles and the cervical region. Pain felt in the ear or temple may have its source elsewhere: it is by going back to the cause that treatment becomes lasting.\n\nThe assessment evaluates the opening and closing of the mouth, movement deviations, joint noises, the condition of the temporal, suboccipital and intraoral muscles, as well as craniocervical posture. It also serves to identify what does not fall within rehabilitation and justifies medical or dental advice. It is from this analysis that the programme is built, then reassessed at each appointment.\n\n## Goals of care\n\n- **Relieve pain**: act on the tensions and structures at the origin of the symptoms rather than on the painful point alone.\n- **Regain mobility**: recover comfortable mouth opening and regular movements, without deviation.\n- **Silence joint noises**: limit cracking and clicking when they reflect disrupted functioning of the disc.\n- **Restore function**: enable chewing, speaking and yawning without discomfort or apprehension.\n- **Increase independence**: combine exercises and prevention advice to protect the jaw over time.\n\nRehabilitation does not replace the medical or dental treatment of a condition. It fits into your care pathway, in coordination with the doctor or dentist when the situation requires it.\n\n## What happens during a session?\n\nTechniques are chosen after the assessment and reassessed at each appointment. The physiotherapist combines several approaches, depending on your situation:\n\n- [manual therapy](/bascharage/competence/therapie-manuelle) techniques to restore normal movements;\n- relaxation of the temporal, suboccipital and intraoral muscles, such as the masseter and pterygoids;\n- an exercise programme to maintain the gains obtained;\n- postural work, in axial extension, to reduce craniocervical compression;\n- [electrotherapy](/bascharage/equipement/electrotherapie), including analgesic currents (TENS) and ultrasound.\n\nSome mobilisations, particularly intraoral ones, may be tender at the time, but the technique always remains adapted to your comfort and explained beforehand. Prevention advice is taught throughout treatment, to prevent the disorder from returning. The idea is not only to relieve, but to give you the means to protect your jaw over time. The number of sessions depends on the origin and how long the disorder has been present; it is reassessed as your situation evolves.\n\n## Bruxism: when you clench your teeth without knowing it\n\nBruxism — clenching or grinding the teeth, often at night — maintains muscle tension that bears directly on the TMJ. Many patients are unaware of it until jaw pain on waking, morning headaches or tooth wear noticed by the dentist appear.\n\nRehabilitation works on relaxing the masticatory muscles, on posture and on learning prevention techniques to unclench the jaws in daily life. It complements dental follow-up when necessary, for example when a splint is prescribed. The goal is to break the tension–pain–clenching cycle that maintains the disorder.\n\n## When should you seek medical advice quickly?\n\nIntense and sudden pain, a significant trauma to the face or jaw, an inability to open or close the mouth, a loss of sensation in the face, fever associated with the pain or a rapid, unusual worsening of symptoms require medical advice before continuing. In case of emergency — serious trauma, malaise or sudden deficit — call **112**. Maxillofacial rehabilitation does not replace urgent medical evaluation.\n\n## Your specialist at the practice\n\nAt the practice, maxillofacial rehabilitation is notably provided by **[Thomas Silvestrini](/bascharage/kinesitherapeute/thomas-silvestrini)**, the physiotherapist who is the practice lead for jaw and TMJ disorders. It is to him that you will most often be directed for this type of care.\n\n## Frequently asked questions\n\nDo I need a prescription?
\n\nFor care reimbursed by the CNS, a medical prescription and the conditions in force are generally required, and the practice supports you with the administrative steps. The full process is explained on our page [The physiotherapy consultation](/bascharage/kinesitherapie/consultation-kine).\nCan bruxism be treated?
\n\nYes. Clenching the teeth, often at night, maintains muscle tension that bears on the TMJ. Rehabilitation works on relaxing these muscles, posture and learning prevention techniques, complementing dental follow-up when necessary.\nIs this click serious?
\n\nAn occasional, painless click most often corresponds to the disc returning to its place. A click audible with every chewing movement, however, deserves an assessment: the joint becomes more prone to locking or wearing out, and the disorder is all the easier to correct the earlier it is addressed.\nIs rehabilitation painful?
\n\nTechniques are dosed according to your tolerance and the condition of the tissues. Some mobilisations, particularly intraoral ones, may be tender at the time, but the technique always remains adapted to your comfort and explained beforehand. Report any unusual pain so that intensity can be adjusted.\nHow long before seeing an improvement?
\n\nThat depends on the origin and how long the disorder has been present. A recent problem is generally corrected faster than a situation established over years, where compensations are more numerous. The programme is reassessed regularly rather than set at an identical number for everyone.\nShould I continue the exercises at home?
\n\nYes. The exercises and prevention advice to reproduce at home prolong the benefits of the session and limit recurrence. Unclenching the jaws during the day, correcting posture and maintaining mobility are an integral part of the treatment.\nHow do I book an appointment?
\n\nYou can [book online](https://fr.doctena.lu/cabinet/Pole_Equilibre_Sante-281318) or call the Bascharage practice on [+352 26 65 28 42](tel:+35226652842). If you are unsure about the urgency of your symptoms, call 112 rather than waiting for an appointment.\n