How can I release a lockjaw?

In some cases, it is impossible for the person concerned to release a lockjaw if fractures of the jaw or a protruding joint are the cause. Therapeutically, only surgery can help to fix the bone fragments. In most other cases, the patient can train at home to open the mouth further and further.

With regular exercises and repetitions, this can help to achieve progress in opening the mouth. In particularly severe cases, the doctor will try to achieve the maximum mouth opening with plastic rods stacked on top of each other and to enlarge them again and again. Provided that the patient cooperates and exercises well at home, the symptoms of the lockjaw can be relieved more quickly. Furthermore, muscle relaxing medications are often prescribed to release muscle tension. The patient can independently try to release muscle tension and loosen the chewing muscles through circular, pressureful movements.

Duration of a lockjaw

The duration of the lockjaw varies depending on the cause and its therapy. Since the symptoms of a lockjaw usually disappear when the actual cause is treated, the duration of healing depends on the type of therapy, the individual healing process and the cooperation of the person affected. In the case of a causal fracture, the symptoms of a lockjaw are immediately relieved with surgical treatment of the fracture, which is the case the very next day.

In inflammatory diseases, the duration of a lockjaw is considerably longer. The symptoms can last several weeks until the bacteria causing the infection have been completely eliminated. In rare cases, it is possible that the lockjaw does not disappear even after the patient has been treated and the disease has been treated. In these cases, the mouth opening is slowly restored bit by bit through targeted mouth opening exercises and red light treatment. In these cases, the lockjaw is often present for months until a complete maximum mouth opening is restored.