I took a pretty solid hit to the jaw in masters this week, butterfly + crowded lane + guy with really long arms = accident waiting to happen. The fat lip was cool but is already gone, however my temper mandibular joint on the side opposite the hit is still hurting - especially when I yawn (which I just had to do because I was thinking of it) and there’s an accompanying minor headache. Nothing killer but as I’ve had issues with TMJ I’m a bit scared of hurting the joint.
I’m wondering if any scrappers/boxers/martial artists/really annoying people who goad others into taking a swing at them out there know if this is normal and will go away? Or should I be concerned?
I have a dentist appointment next week anyway, so I’ll ask her opinion, but in the meantime I’m interested in any advice others here can offer. Plus, any hit-in-the-while-swimming stories you want to share would always be fun to read.
And yes, the lifeguard checked to make sure I wasn’t concussed and didn’t have any spinal damage.
ex- jiu-jitsu/wrestler/bando boxer here. I’ve had this problem more than a few times, the worst time when grappling and not wearing a mouthpiece. Got jammed in the jaw when a guy postured up quickly and connected the top of his head with my jaw. Yawning and chewing hurt real bad for about 2 weeks. I ate lots of advil and made sure to wear my mouthpiece after that. I’ve had milder versions from stiff uppercuts that took 3 or 4 days to go away.
I had my jaw broken back in '02 (in a touch football game—how lame is that?). I had a lot of pain in the joints on both sides, not to mention muscle spasms after they wired my mouth shut.
Is there any swelling? Have you tried icing it? If nothing else, you can give it a little massage.
Bad taste alert. Walk away from this one, you two. Seriously.
Jaw injuries are horrible. I’ve dislocated mine while yawning, bad TMJ for a while, and the ache lasts for a while. Problem is that you can’t avoid using it so it takes a while. Advil and rest is the best you can do on your own.