Neck and Shoulder pain with SD.

For whatever it's worth on this subject: I've been a regular chiropractic patient for 19 years and my current chiro confirms that I consistently hold excessive stress/tension (which sometimes results in pain) in my neck and shoulders.

Since I've been her patient for the past 13 years and she helps me ALOT (before, during and after the most serious stages of SD), she has not noticed ANY difference in my neck and shoulders during this entire before-during-after cycle. While these "conditions" could be related, I still hold the SAME amount of tension (and pain) in that area ~ ~ prior to SD-onset, during the many years I strained to talk AND in the last 5 years since surgery...when the "strain and strangulation of talking" was fully released.

Interesting concept you've brought up; but, as in many of our cases, I think there may be unique and individual responses to this issue also. I'm glad to hear your pain situation has been alleviated though. My mantra: "whatever works!"

Yes, I also have "bruxism" which is *teeth-grinding during sleep* and I do wear a soft nightgard. Whether I wore it or not...neither had any effect on my voice. Bruxism (which is what you are describing you have) is not the same thing as TMJ. To get more information on TMJ on this BB, go back to September 5 when "MarilTX" (and some of us others) wrote about TMJ.

The main reason for treating bruxism with a nightgard is to keep you from wearing your teeth down to their nubs. I've worn mine down pretty bad and am now doing cosmetic dentistry to restore some of them that have been cracked and worn down by years of grinding. Wearing a nightgard will NOT resolve a voice problem if you have SD. If you have something else, it might. It also will not cure TMJ. If you think you have TMJ, that is a totally different health issue than SD so do access the BB thread I mentioned above because there is an expert who has done a ton of research on TMJ talking there. She knows more than most dentists about TMJ.

Good luck on the "teeth-thing" because, as we get into our 50's, it's important to prevent the damage that bruxism causes; BUT, if you have true-SD, a nightgard will have no effect on your vocal quality. Your teeth...yes. Your voice...no.

As I understand it, the theory is that the muscle tension and spasms are caused when your mind tries to find a bite that feels right. When the teeth are misaligned then you get clenching and grinding as the teeth try to find a that "good" bite. The splint gives the right bite and the muscles relax.

I suppose the adjustments are needed each time due to wearing away of the splint or other minor changes in the mouth. The dentist checks how the teeth are contacting each other very carefully and makes the proper adjustments in the splint. I think this is very different from most mouth guards and splints. If anyone is interested I can ask my dentist's office for information about the Pankey Institute. That way you could contact them and find a trained dentist in your area.

Goly mentioned pain in the neck that hindered looking left or right when driving. I had a pain in my neck when I would try to look to the left and I noticed this mostly when driving. I would have to turn my whole upper body when looking over my left shoulder on the entrance ramp to the highway that I took to school every day. This was right after I had recovered from a broken jaw and persisted for quite some time. I thought it was neck injury from the accident. I felt I had a "stiff neck for years and feel I still have a bit of stiffness left. It could be related to TMJ trauma from the accident, I suppose. This was in 1976 when I was in college.

I have also just read what Barbara and Lynne wrote about SD and muscle tension. It sounds like the two are often related, but sometimes the SD causes muscle tension and sometimes muscle tension causes the dysphonia. Interesting.

Goly, keep us posted on your progress and what you learn. Best wishes!

Good to see you back on the BB. As far as I'm concerned, you're MY "real-life" expert on this issue. My dentist is really great (and totally up-to-date on current technology in dentistry) and through him, and reading your material and doing some Internet research, I know I have "bruxism" but not TMJ (even though I clench and grind; hmm...sounds like "bump-and-grind" but not nearly as exotic!...LOL!!).

I hope Goly won't mind if I mention this but we got together last night in person in Oregon and one of our discussion subjects (among many) was this whole dental/jaw (grinding/clenching/pain) issue and its relationship to SD and MTD, etc. Obviously, our circumstances are not identical (whose are?) but we each described our symptoms to each other and, speaking for myself, I am nowhere near where you are as far as TMJ and MTD. I hold alot of stress-tension in my shoulders, neck and head but I have no nerve-pain (due to misalignment?) associated with it. I'm just grinding the heck out of my teeth and have my whole life. I only grind at night (Webster's Dictionary definition of "bruxism") but clench sometimes in sustained, focused situations during the day. Such as today: 385-mile drive from Oregon to the SF Bay Area which requires ALOT of concentration going around tight, high-speed curves and dealing with 18-wheelers and highway-construction during the long trip.

I equate my clenching with the shallow-breathing of SD. Sometimes I forget to breathe when I'm concentrating very hard. I have to remind myself to breathe. I also have to remind myself not to clench. However, none of this causes me any physical pain (typical of TMJ?); but, after all the years of talking to people with SD, I think many of these symptoms (which I choose to think are part of our temperments or our neurological make-ups) are relatively common to those with SD. I haven't figured out patterns of symptoms for people with MTD. I'm working on it.

Keep us posted on any new info and good luck on your upcoming surgery.

--Lynne