Lockjaw
Free Symptom Checker
with Physician-supervised AI
Reviewed By:
Maxwell J. Nanes, DO (Emergency Medicine)
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.
Content updated on Jan 4, 2023
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Painful jaw
Difficulty in opening the mouth
Hard to open my mouth fully
Lockjaw
Can't open my mouth fully
Mouth is stuck
Problems opening the mouth
I can't open my mouth wide
Limited mouth opening
Hard to open my jaw
Can't open my mouth
Can't open my jaw
How Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min Lockjaw quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- My mouth doesn't open fully
- Difficulty in opening mouth
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout the Symptom
Trismus, commonly known as lockjaw, is a painful condition characterized by restricted jaw movement, preventing the mouth from fully opening. Trismus can result in discomfort, as well as difficulties in eating, speaking, and maintaining oral hygiene. It typically manifests when an individual is unable to open their mouth beyond 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
Generally, Lockjaw can be related to:
- Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a connective tissue disorder that causes the skin to thicken and harden, though it may also affect other organs. It is categorized as localized or widespread (systemic scleroderma). It is a disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body.
- Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis (TMJ)
This degenerative condition affects the jaw (temporomandibular) joint, causing changes and degeneration of bone structure, leading to joint inflammation and pain. The condition is more common in females than males. Risk factors include grinding or clenching teeth, dislocations or fractures, and genetics.
- Occipital Neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia is a rare type of headache characterized by intense, brief, throbbing, electric-shock-like pain in the back of the head or behind the ears. It can occur on one or both sides of the head, and is thought to result from pinching of a nerve by scalp or neck muscles, neck injury, as well as neck or skull base surgery.
- Acute Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Ear Infection
- Common Cold (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection)
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Lockjaw may be related to these serious diseases:
- Peritonsillar Abscess / Deep Neck Abscess
A bacterial infection of the areas around the tonsils and deep parts of the neck. Pus accumulates in these areas forming an abscess.
- Mumps
- Perforated Tympanic Membrane
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Is it hard for you to fully open your mouth?
- How long have you had difficulty opening your mouth?
- Have you had difficulty fully opening your mouth before?
- How has your mouth opening limitation changed over time?
- How badly are you affected by the difficulty in mouth opening?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizFind Similar Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from similar body parts
Reviewed By:
Maxwell J. Nanes, DO (Emergency Medicine)
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.
What People Say about Ubie?
Male, 30s
I got more answers in one minute through your site than I did in three hours with Google.
(Sep 29, 2024)
Male, 20s
My experience was great. I was worried, but the symptom checker helped me narrow down what it might be. I feel a little relieved compared to when I first started, and it gives me a starting point for what my symptoms could mean.
(Sep 27, 2024)
Male, 50s
The questions asked and possible causes seemed spot on, putting me at ease for a next-step solution.
(Sep 26, 2024)
Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizUbie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
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Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1