Dermot O’Leary has detailed the “massively painful” health condition he’s been experiencing.
On an episode of This Morning, the presenter, 51, revealed he started to experience pain in his jaw “out of nowhere” in recent weeks but was initially reluctant to seek medical help.
O’Leary was joined on the programme by his physiotherapist Krina Panchal, who treated him for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder after the presenter was sent to her by a doctor.
Speaking to his co-host Alison Hammond, O’Leary said: “I woke up last half term in October, out of nowhere and every time I opened my mouth to eat something, I got a massive pain around here,” indicating his jaw.
Addressing Panchal, he added: “I ignored it for a bit because I’m a man and then finally got it… went to go and see an ear, nose and throat specialist, and he sent me to you.”
The TMJ is the joint between your jawbone and your temporal bone. Disorders can cause jaw, neck, and shoulder pain as well as vision problems, dizziness and headaches.
If the condition is left untreated for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to early onset arthritis around the jaw socket as well as dislocation of the jaw in extreme cases.
The condition can be treated through massage from a physiotherapist like Panchal, or through Botox injections into the masseter muscle.
Panchal detailed that O’Leary’s condition is “more muscular” than joint related.
O’Leary’s news comes after former Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball revealed she had been suffering from TMJ in her final weeks of her breakfast show last year.
Ball shared photos of herself before and after having a lymphatic drainage massage in a bid to relax the muscles and ease pain from the condition.
“I have TMJ and wake most days with awful headaches from tension and jaw clenching,” she wrote on Instagram to her 739,000 followers.
“So grateful to Helen @thesculptresslondon for her magic. This is my face after I’ve seen her, check out my face before – yikes – picture 2. Can’t recommend her enough. She also has the greatest playlists.”
TMJ symptoms can improve on their own. However, they may worsen with stress, chewing, or grinding, explained Anni Seaborne, head of general dentistry at Bupa Dental Care during an interview with The Independent.
Experts recommend eating softer foods – which are easier to chew – along with over-the-counter pain medication. You should also reduce habits such as nail biting or jaw clenching, and apply a hot or cold compress to the face to ease the pain.
However, if symptoms persist for more than three months, surgery may be considered, Seaborne warned:
“In these cases, a specialist may recommend other treatments including jaw manipulation under anaesthesia, muscle relaxant injections or surgery for severe cases (e.g., repairing or replacing the joint).”
