Lockjaw

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Reviewed By:

Maxwell J. Nanes

Maxwell J. Nanes, DO (Emergency department)

Dr Nanes received a doctorate from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and went on to complete a residency in emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. There he trained at Froedtert Hospital and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in the practice of adult and pediatric emergency medicine. He was a chief resident and received numerous awards for teaching excellence during his time there. | | After residency he took a job at a community hospital where he and his colleagues worked through the toughest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. |

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

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People with these symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes

  • My mouth doesn't open fully

  • Difficulty in opening mouth

  • Problems opening the mouth

  • I can't open my mouth wide

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Content updated on Jan 4, 2023

About the symptom

Trismus, or lockjaw, is a painful condition in which the jaws do not open fully. Trismus can lead to pain, problems with eating, speaking, and oral hygiene. Trismus is when a person is unable to open their mouth more than 35 millimeters.

When to see a doctor

Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms

  • Muscle weakness in the limbs

  • Fever

  • Peripheral cyanosis

  • Recent weight loss

  • Difficulty breathing / breathlessness

  • Blurring of vision

  • Alternating diarrhea and constipation

  • Dysphagia

  • Headache

Possible causes

  • Temporomandibular arthrosis

    This is a degenerative condition that affects the jaw (temporomandibular) joint. There are changes and degeneration of bone structure, resulting in inflammation of the joint. The condition affects females more than males. Grinding or clenching of teeth, dislocations or fractures and genetics are risk factors.

  • Acute tonsillitis / pharyngitis

    Infection of the tonsils and pharynx (back of the mouth), either by viruses or bacteria.

  • Occipital neuralgia

    Occipital neuralgia is a type of headache characterized by intense pain, throbbing, or electric-shock-like pain in the upper neck, back of the head, behind the ears and usually on one side of the head. It could be a result of a pinched nerve root in the neck due to tight muscles, arthritis, injury or surgery to the headl.

  • Scleroderma
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Mucopolysaccharidosis

  • Schwarz-Jampel syndrome

Related serious diseases

Questions your doctor may ask about this symptom

Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom

  • Do you have difficulty opening your mouth properly/fully?

  • Do you have a fever?

  • Do you have headaches or does your head feel heavy?

  • Do you have problems focusing or a reduced sense of awareness in your surroundings?

  • Do you feel any numbness or change in sensation?

Other Related Symptoms

Similar symptoms or complaints

Reviewed By:

Maxwell J. Nanes

Maxwell J. Nanes, DO (Emergency department)

Dr Nanes received a doctorate from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and went on to complete a residency in emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. There he trained at Froedtert Hospital and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in the practice of adult and pediatric emergency medicine. He was a chief resident and received numerous awards for teaching excellence during his time there. | | After residency he took a job at a community hospital where he and his colleagues worked through the toughest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. |

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

From our team of 50+ doctors

Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.

Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide

Shohei Harase

Shohei Harase, MD

Neurology

Kameda Medical Center, Japan

Yu Shirai

Yu Shirai, MD

Psychiatry

Yotsuya Yui Clinic, Japan

Yoshinori Abe

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Internal medicine

Co-founder of Ubie, Inc.

Rohini R

Rohini R, MD

Ear, nose, throat (ENT)

Bayshore Health Centre, India

Seiji Kanazawa

Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD

Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)

National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan

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