What is trismus?
Trismus is a painful spasm of the masticatory muscles - a convulsive reaction that occurs in the muscles that support the jaw joint.
In trismus, the muscles tighten so much that a person has difficulty opening their mouth properly, making it impossible to eat or speak adequately. In a large percentage of clinical cases, this symptom improves within a few weeks, although in the chronic form, recovery takes much longer, which increases the risk of developing depression.
The cause of trismus can be a side effect of treatment for head and neck cancer or dental surgery. Sometimes the cause of the pathological process is an infection. Medication and physiotherapy are prescribed for the treatment of trismus.
The most noticeable symptom of the condition is that a person cannot open their mouth, although other signs are also associated with it.
Typical symptoms include:
- Muscle spasms in the jaw area;
- Pain in the jaw when you are not talking, eating, or trying to move the area;
- Chewing solid foods causes pain;
- Pain when yawning.
Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24086-trismus
