Symptom Question

Lately I have noticed what feels like tension/soreness under my cheek bones-hard for me to explain the location- but bilaterally on my upper mandible- like I’m clenching or it’s really tight? If that makes any sense at all. Is this an ES symptom? - I have been thinking I am stressed and holding tension there - but these last couple weeks have been noticeably annoying and sore. Anyone else?

It could well be from tension, if so then gently massaging & practising clenching & relaxing those muscles will help, but also the trigeminal nerve has a branch going to the upper jaw, so it could be nerve pain? I get toothache and aching above a couple of molars in that area at times from trigeminal neuralgia, it’s a nerve commonly affected with ES. I hope this disappears soon for you!

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It could well be from tension, if so then gently massaging & practising clenching & relaxing those muscles will help, but also the trigeminal nerve has a branch going to the upper jaw, so it could be nerve pain? I get toothache and aching above a couple of molars in that area at times from trigeminal neuralgia, it’s a nerve commonly affected with ES. I hope this disappears soon for you!

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Hi Julie- it’s the lower jaw- hard to explain- where- not the lowest part but where the upper and lower meet I guess ugh.

Thanks.

Sincerely,
Nina

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@ninamarie1424 - Here’s a drawing of where the trigeminal nerve is in your face. Does your pain run along any of the lines of the TN?

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I also have this symptom Nina, curious if that happens on your symptomatic side? Mine is in conjunction with my 24/7 ear pain, do you have that as well?

So it’s where that ganglion is, or slightly lower. I think- it’s on both sides- it feels sore and tight- not a sharp nerve pain.

@ninamarie1424 - Does it feel like the pain is in your jaw joint i.e. TMJ type pain? ES can cause symptoms like pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) space. A number of our members were diagnosed w/ TMJ & sold splints for their jaws (which didn’t help w/ the pain & sometimes made it worse) prior to being diagnosed w/ ES. It can crop up after ES diagnosis, too.

You could try @Jules suggestion to gently massage the area. Another option would be to try icing it (for 15 min w/ a thin cloth between skin & ice pack) or putting a warm compress on it. Sometimes moist warmth works better than dry. There are gel packs available at most pharmacy type stores that can be heated or frozen. Many have removable covers so if you wanted to try moist heat, you can dampen the cover & add it once the gel pack has been warmed up. Be careful not to get it too hot though.

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Yes jaw joint -it’s fatigue/sore just feels super tight for the last couple weeks. Is this normal?

Also- if it’s really cold out- or if I go swimming and underwater— I get internal ear pain… is this related?

I’m clearly in the piecing it all together phase and learning what all of my symptoms are.

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Is the ear pain constant? I realized I get ear pain when it’s cold outside. Does that worsen yours?

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The glossopharyngeal nerve can cause ear pain, & it’s common for temperature changes to set this off… hard to say with your jaw whether it’s TMJD or nerve pain from ES :hugs: :hugs:

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Yes! It worsens if I turn my head to that side too quick or if I fully stretch my neck back as well. The pain is more at the bottom of the inside of my ear (if that makes sense.) I usually describe it as the feeling you great right before an ear infection comes on… like a deep pain in there, not the surface. My dentist ruled out TMJ for me so that could be something you could ask your dentist about!

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