Using Your Smartphone to Treat Your TMD

Chronic pain is a big problem in America, where medications often cause more harm than good. Right now, doctors and state governments are struggling to combat a growing epidemic of prescription pain medication abuse. Unfortunately, over-the-counter drugs are also causing problems; in fact, right now, acetaminophen toxicity is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S.

In search of non-medicinal remedies for chronic pain, researchers are busy testing all sorts of alternative treatments including yoga, acupuncture, massage and more. Recently, a group of Norwegian researchers sought to evaluate the efficacy of technological intervention as a way to treat unrelenting pain. Unfortunately, their study didn’t offer much hope.

Smartphone-Based Intervention

Researchers out of the Department of Behavioral Sciences in Medicine at the University of Oslo in Norway recently conducted a study which used so-called smartphone-based intervention in an attempt to reduce chronic pain. Appearing in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the study involved 140 Norwegian women who suffered from chronic widespread pain. While all of the subjects received cognitive pain therapy, half also received extra support via smartphones provided by the researchers. This extra support included face-to-face therapy sessions via smartphone app, extra written communication and journaling activities that offered subjects an opportunity to reflect on pain-related feelings, thoughts and activities.

After 11 weeks, however, both groups reported similar results, despite one having the extra technological-based therapy.

Getting Real About Pain

Sometimes, emotional problems and stress can enhance pain in certain people. That said, the vast majority of the time, chronic pain stems from an actual physical problem, which demands an effective physical treatment.

If you suffer from pain related to temporomandibular joint disorder, any sort of cognitive therapy isn’t likely to provide much relief. Instead, you need a treatment that works by focusing on the source of your problem: your misaligned bite. To learn more about Dr. Stephen M. Winber visit our Wellness Village website.