[TMJ]
Why does it feel better and then hurt more again? — the four deviation reactions the body shows during TMJ balancing treatment
Once TMJ balancing treatment begins, there comes a period when new symptoms appear or old ones grow stronger for a while. In most cases this is a deviation reaction, part of the process by which the body returns to normal. Here is what changes, why it happens, and what to do when it does.
“My neck got stiffer after the treatment.” “I have a headache I never used to get.” “I have had no energy at all for days.” These are the things we hear most often in the consulting room from people who have just started TMJ balancing treatment.
Most patients hear the explanation in advance and come through it well, but a small number find the period hard to sit with and give up treatment partway. For that reason it is called a “healing crisis.” In fact this period is usually the stretch in which treatment is working at its most active. Knowing in advance what is going on changes how the period feels entirely.
The body does not return to its place quietly
TMJ balancing therapy realigns a displaced axis (C2, the second cervical vertebra) in order to bring the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of the whole body back towards an ideal state of balance. That is why even a single session can set off a considerable structural change in the body. While a structure that drifted out of place over many years finds its way back, the body does not stay still.
What is interesting is the order. Illness usually follows the path of “healthy state → gradual progression → entrenchment,” and when it resolves it travels back along exactly the reverse of that path. Current symptoms settle first, and then a region you once suffered from and had long forgotten may briefly reappear before fading again. The nineteenth-century homeopathic physician Constantine Hering named this pattern the “law of cure” and described three directions.
- From inside outwards — problems in the deeper organs are pushed out towards the surface, such as the skin and mucous membranes, and resolve there.
- From above downwards — the upper part of the body is put in order first, then the rest in turn.
- In reverse order of appearance — the most recent symptoms clear first, working back towards the oldest.
In TMJ balancing therapy, the changes the body shows during this process are called “deviation.” A deviation is not a sign of malfunction; it is a sign that the body is straining to bring a distorted structure back into place. The road to normal is not always smooth. Sometimes you have to push up a steep slope, and on that stretch your breath shortens and your legs feel heavy. When these changes arrive all at once like an unusually large wave, it is called a “major deviation.”
Deviation is a stretch that has to be passed through
There is no way to keep deviation reactions from happening at all, because treatment only moves forward through the change called deviation and the process called deviation correction. What can be adjusted is the size of the wave, by changing how often and how quickly treatment is given. If it is hard to bear, please do not endure it in silence — tell us.
The four deviation reactions — what is happening in my body right now
The changes that appear during treatment fall broadly into four forms. How much discomfort you feel depends on which type appears and how strongly.
Hypersensitive reaction
Symptoms sharpen- Main symptoms
- Pain of various kinds — low back pain, joint pain, neuralgia — along with dizziness, nausea, headache and migraine
- Why it happens
- As the subluxation of the atlas (C1, the first cervical vertebra) and the axis realigns, the passage through the foramen magnum towards the brain opens and closes repeatedly. Entrenched chronic symptoms may also return briefly to something like their acute stage.
- How long it lasts
- It usually settles on its own within four to five days
Relaxation reaction
Energy dips- Main symptoms
- Fatigue, listlessness, constant drowsiness, a shivery chill
- Why it happens
- Energy needed for recovery gathers at one site, so overall strength temporarily drops. It appears while an organ that had been struggling regains its original function.
- How long it lasts
- Around a week in most cases. Once the period passes, many people feel more energetic than before
Eliminative reaction
The body clears out- Main symptoms
- Skin rash, itching, eye discharge, acne, eczema / abdominal pain, gas, diarrhoea, constipation
- Why it happens
- Waste products and toxins that had accumulated in the body are discharged through every available exit — sweat, urine and stool, skin, eyes and nose. In people who have had a chronic skin condition, a rash may temporarily worsen and weep.
- How long it lasts
- It resolves once the waste has been cleared. Herbal medicine is sometimes given alongside treatment to shorten this period and ease the discomfort
Recuperative reaction
Body and mood reset- Main symptoms
- Swings of mood and emotion, vomiting, pain, numbness in the hands and feet, cold- or flu-like aching, fever
- Why it happens
- As blocked passages open, changes in the body are accompanied by changes in emotion. The swings tend to be larger in people who have lived with a long-standing intractable condition or with suppressed feelings.
- How long it lasts
- Things settle again before long. When it is hard to bear, please be sure to tell us
If a back or a knee that used to hurt long ago but has been completely fine suddenly aches, that too is a sign that the area is currently being put in order. It usually disappears by itself within a few days. In fact, after a strong reaction of this kind, that area often becomes noticeably more comfortable.
How to tell a healing process from a different problem
Not every discomfort is a deviation reaction. A positive change reaction during treatment and a state that needs checking differ clearly at a few points. The guide below is not for diagnosing yourself; it is a note on what is worth observing and telling us about.
| What to observe | Deviation reaction in healing | When checking is needed |
|---|---|---|
| Complexion | Uncomfortable, yet still bright and alive | Dull and drained |
| Eyes | The eyes still have strength in them | The eyes look slack and unfocused |
| Duration | Subsides within a few days to a week | Does not subside and drags on |
| Afterwards | The area is distinctly more comfortable than before | No change, and a sense of steadily getting worse |
Major deviation — when the wave comes in unusually large
There are periods during treatment when the changes in the body arrive abruptly, all at once, like a flood. The discomfort at such times is considerable. Because it is a tug of war taking place while the body regains its normal balance, in this period it is better to pause and rest fully than to push on. With proper rest, most people recover within a week.
What matters is that a major deviation is not a period to be endured but a period to be reported. Those with good physical reserves usually do better to come in often for deviation correction and pass through quickly, while those who tire easily or are more sensitive do better to lengthen the intervals and go slowly. Which of the two suits you is something we decide together after looking at your condition.
What to do when these symptoms appear — a six-step response
If an uncomfortable symptom appears while you are under treatment, take the steps below in order. This is especially worth learning in advance for those being treated for severe musculoskeletal pain conditions or long-standing intractable disorders.
- Wear the standard-type intraoral balancing applianceThis is the first thing to do. The standard appliance holds the axis and the nervous system towards a stable position and lowers the intensity of the symptom.
- Do the basic stretches and exercisesJaw, neck and whole-body stretching, together with walking in correct posture, support alignment of the axis and stabilisation of the nervous system.
- Soak in warm water and let the body relaxReleasing tension throughout the body alone brings a noticeable drop in the intensity of symptoms.
- Get in touch and bring your deviation correction forwardA deviation settles only once it has been corrected. Please contact us rather than waiting for your next appointment.
- Keep a positive frame of mindAnxiety and tension lead to muscular tension, which makes symptoms larger. Please remember that this is a stretch you are passing through.
- Do not decide on your ownDo not lengthen or shorten the wearing time of the appliance by yourself; instead, note when the symptom began, what form it took and how long it lasted, and tell us. That record is the single most important clue in deciding the direction of deviation correction.
Family members should know about this too
When the patient and the family understand the course of treatment differently, treatment can be stopped at the very point where things are improving. For child and adolescent patients in particular, and for those being treated for intractable conditions, the family also understanding the idea of the deviation reaction can decide whether treatment succeeds.
When to contact us straight away
- When the discomfort does not settle and continues even after the appliance is removed
- When strength drains away, the complexion turns dull and there is little sign of recovery
- When pain, dizziness or vomiting that is hard to bear lasts more than a day
When do deviations begin to ease
As treatment progresses, deviations fall in both frequency and intensity. The course generally runs as follows.
| Degree of recovery | What changes around this point |
|---|---|
| 60–70% | Even when a deviation occurs, the discomfort felt is no longer great |
| 70–80% | Most of the symptoms you were aware of disappear |
| Nearing the end | Deviations that used to occur often become infrequent from a certain point |
| End of treatment | A state in which no deviation has occurred for six months or more is taken as the end point |
How long this takes differs from person to person. The more severe the condition and the longer it has been present, the more time is needed. On the other hand, how often you attend, how long you wear the appliance, and how consistently you keep up the exercises and posture training are factors that directly shorten the course. The hours spent outside the consulting room shape the outcome more than the hours spent inside it.
Knowing in advance keeps you steady
A deviation reaction is not a sign that treatment has gone wrong; it is evidence that the structure of the body is genuinely moving. But anyone who meets it without knowing that will feel uneasy. That is why we explain this process before treatment begins.
When you feel discomfort, please do not endure it alone, nor decide alone to stop. Tell us which symptom appeared, when and in what form, and we will adjust the pace and direction of treatment so that you can pass through it far more easily.
Frequently asked questions
It hurts more after treatment rather than less. Is that normal?
TMJ balancing therapy realigns a displaced axis in order to bring the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of the whole body back towards an ideal state of balance, so there is a period in which symptoms temporarily become more pronounced while the body normalises. This is called a deviation reaction, and it takes four forms: hypersensitive, relaxation, eliminative and recuperative. Areas that were not well surface one after another or several at once, and it generally settles within a few days to a week. Even so, please do not judge it by yourself; tell your Korean medicine doctor.
What kinds of deviation reaction are there?
There are four. The hypersensitive reaction appears as pain, dizziness, nausea and headache, and is observed in roughly 18%. The relaxation reaction appears as fatigue, listlessness, drowsiness and chills, and is the most common, observed in roughly 35%. The eliminative reaction appears as skin rash, itching, eye discharge, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and accounts for roughly 10%. The recuperative reaction appears as changes in mood and emotion, flu-like aching, fever and numbness of the hands and feet.
What should I do if an uncomfortable symptom appears during treatment?
First wear the standard-type intraoral balancing appliance to hold the axis and the nervous system towards a stable position. Then do the basic stretches and exercises, and soak in warm water to relax the whole body. Next, contact your clinic to bring your deviation correction forward, and keep a positive frame of mind. Do not decide things on your own, such as lengthening or shortening the wearing time of the appliance.
When do deviations ease, and when does treatment end?
Once symptoms have recovered by about 60–70%, a deviation no longer causes much discomfort, and beyond 70–80% most of the symptoms you are aware of disappear. When deviations that used to occur often become infrequent from a certain point, the end of treatment is drawing near, and a state in which no deviation has occurred for six months or more is regarded as the true end point.
If the changes your body shows during treatment are worrying you, or you would like to know which stretch of the process you are currently in, please feel free to ask.
This column is provided for general health information and does not replace individual diagnosis or treatment. The form and duration of the reactions that appear during treatment vary considerably from person to person, so if a symptom occurs, always tell your treating clinician and decide how to respond after consultation. Emergency symptoms such as high fever, chest pain, reduced consciousness or sudden paralysis are unrelated to a treatment reaction; seek emergency medical care at once.
Reference: Lee Youngjun. Dr. Lee’s Temporomandibular Joint Balancing Therapy. Chapter 9, Changes During Treatment — the healing process, deviation reactions and how to respond.