by Rachel Schreiber

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This simple Chinese proverb fits Gail Falzon’s philosophy.

She’s a nurse and the inventor of MyoFree® tool and Inside-Outside™ technique a system that helps people with Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction or TMJ. When the MyoFree® massage tool is used correctly, patients will be free of the muscle pain and spasm associated with TMJ.

At age 14, Gail was diagnosed with TMJ. TMJ is a condition that is caused by a misalignment of the Temporomandibular Joint (the hinge joints that connect your jaw to your skull) or trauma to the surrounding muscles. In 1994, she suffered a head injury and whiplash in a car accident. The accident exacerbated her TMJ pain and she was desperate for help. She says, “I was having severe pain issues and the doctors convinced me I needed surgery. I went through a $30,000 reconstructive jaw surgery. My jaw was wired shut for eight weeks and I had to wear braces for two years.  After the braces came off, I was still in pain. As an RN, I was furious they didn’t find the underlying cause of my pain. What was it and how do I get rid of it?  I began to do my own research and found according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, myofascial pain is the most common form of TMJ. Myofascial pain originates in the muscles and connective tissue caused by an irritable spot in a muscle that is locked into a deep and painful spasm, called a trigger point. I found a physical therapist who taught me techniques for intra-oral trigger point release therapy. Today I am pain free and I no longer need to wear a bite splint.”

Gail never realized how many people TMJ affects.  She states, “I would run into people who had TMJ and I would give them a treatment, right then and there. One girl had to cut up her food into small pieces. She couldn’t open up her mouth because her jaw was closed tightly. After I gave her a treatment, she opened her mouth up to two fingers width. Another girl had her jaw dislocated when she had her wisdom teeth removed; she couldn’t brush her teeth and she hadn’t eaten solid food for six weeks. After she allowed me to help, she could open up her mouth to two fingers wide and eat.”

When she was treating her patients with these techniques she found she needed a special tool to reach muscles that were difficult to treat with the fingers alone. She invented a massage tool and pain system called the MyoFree® Solution. The rubber tool is about eight inches long, and the ends are rounded. She says, “It’s effective for intra-oral trigger point release and patients can use this massage instrument at home by themselves. The 20-minute DVD demonstrates usage of the MyoFree® tool and Inside-Outside™ techniques.”

There are times when the pain reoccurs. Gail states, “I use my MyoFree® tool and Inside-Outside™ technique to release the trigger points by direct sustained pressure. By applying a moderate to light pressure, the trigger point is inactivated and the muscle releases which relieves the pain/spasm cycle. I teach my patients to do a three-week program to release the years of stubborn muscle dysfunction and then they only have to do it when symptoms come back. The MyoFree® Solution is a life-long, self-care, pain management program and it does work immediately.”

Gail works with, and teaches TMJ dental specialists. The founder and former president of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain has invited her to speak in Oklahoma where she’ll do a workshop for five dentists at his clinic. She’s also lectured at Tufts University in Boston. Gail belongs to the National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists where she’ll speak in Chicago next year.

If you have found this story interesting, informative or inspiring, please let Gail know!  She can be reached at www.tmjpainsolutions.com.