Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] TMJ

[Ken Ficara <kenficara@xxxxxxxxx>]

I had a fairly serious problem with TMJ some years ago that I have
mostly dealt with by using a night appliance that prevents me from
grinding my teeth and holds my jaw in proper position, by being very
conscious of what I am doing with my teeth and jaw during the day (ie,
don't grit them, etc) and exercising. I asked my jaw specialist about
my harp playing and he had me show me how I played. Turns out that
many of the movements are similar to the exercises he was
recommending, especially what you do when you bend. For what it's
worth, when I was really bothered by TMJ, I was not playing that much,
and it has not recurred since I've been playing more frequently
(although obviously the exercises etc. have to do with that as well).