Lockjaw
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Reviewed By:
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, 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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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
- Mumps
A highly contagious infection with the Mumps virus.
- Peritonsillar abscess / deep neck abscess
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
Symptoms from the same body system / part
Reviewed By:
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, 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.
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Ubie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD
Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)
National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan