
If you are searching for a myofascial pain specialist near me, dealing with persistent muscle tension, facial pain, jaw discomfort, headaches, or other forms of orofacial pain can be frustrating—especially when the source of your symptoms is difficult to identify.
At Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ, we provide specialized evaluation and pain management for patients experiencing myofascial pain and other orofacial pain conditions throughout Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and surrounding communities in Eastern Washington.
Our practice is led by Dr. Jared Bloxham, DDS, MS, a retired dentist who now focuses his practice on Orofacial Pain. His goal is not simply to treat a painful area temporarily, but to understand the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms and develop a personalized plan to help manage your pain and improve your quality of life.
What Is Myofascial Pain?
Myofascial pain is pain associated with the muscles and the surrounding connective tissue, known as fascia. It can occur in many areas of the body, including the muscles of the face, jaw, neck, and head.
In orofacial pain patients, muscle-related pain may be associated with areas such as:
- The jaw muscles
- The temples
- The face
- The neck
- The shoulders
- The muscles surrounding the jaw joints
- Other muscles involved in chewing and head and neck movement
Patients may describe myofascial pain as aching, tightness, tenderness, fatigue, pressure, or a deep, difficult-to-localize pain.
Sometimes the discomfort is concentrated in one area. In other cases, muscle tension can contribute to pain that seems to travel or affect other areas of the head, face, and neck.
Why Does Myofascial Pain Happen?
There is rarely one explanation for every patient's muscle pain.
Muscle tension can be influenced by a combination of physical, behavioral, and lifestyle factors. These may include prolonged muscle use, stress, poor sleep, posture, clenching or grinding, previous injury, changes in activity, or other underlying conditions.
In some patients, pain can also involve the nervous system becoming more sensitive to normally non-painful or mildly painful signals.
That is why our approach at Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ begins with evaluation rather than assuming every patient's pain has the same cause.
Understanding what may be contributing to your symptoms helps us determine which treatment strategies are most appropriate.
Myofascial Pain Treatment in Richland, WA
There is no single treatment that works for every patient with myofascial pain.
At Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ, treatment is individualized based on your symptoms, examination findings, history, and contributing factors.
Depending on your situation, treatment may include:
Trigger Point Injections
When specific areas of muscle are contributing to pain, trigger point injections may be considered as part of a comprehensive pain-management plan.
Trigger points are particularly sensitive areas within a muscle that can contribute to localized or referred pain. In appropriate patients, injections may help reduce pain and muscle sensitivity and can sometimes make it easier to participate in other treatments, such as therapeutic exercises.
Trigger point injections are not intended to be a stand-alone solution for every patient. Our goal is to use them when appropriate as one component of a broader treatment strategy.
Therapeutic Exercises at Home
Your treatment may also include specific exercises to perform at home.
These exercises can be designed to help with:
- Muscle relaxation
- Jaw mobility
- Controlled movement
- Stretching
- Improving muscle coordination
- Reducing excessive muscle activity
- Supporting healthy jaw and neck function
Consistent participation at home can be an important part of managing chronic muscle pain.
Lifestyle Changes
Sometimes seemingly small changes can make a meaningful difference in muscle-related pain.
Depending on your symptoms, we may discuss factors such as sleep, stress, posture, daily habits, jaw clenching, activity levels, and other behaviors that could be contributing to muscle tension.
Pain management is not always about adding another procedure. Sometimes it involves identifying the habits or circumstances that are repeatedly irritating an already sensitive system.
Further Evaluation
Myofascial pain can sometimes be part of a larger problem.
If your symptoms suggest that additional evaluation is appropriate, we may recommend further assessment or coordination with another healthcare professional.
Our goal is to avoid treating symptoms in isolation when there may be other factors that need to be addressed.
Muscle Tension, Jaw Pain & Headaches
Many patients with orofacial pain experience more than one symptom.
Muscle-related pain can sometimes occur alongside:
- Jaw pain
- Facial pain
- Temple pain
- Headaches
- Neck tension
- Ear-area discomfort
- Jaw fatigue
- Pain with chewing
- Clenching or grinding
- TMJ symptoms
This does not mean that every headache or jaw symptom is caused by myofascial pain. A proper evaluation is important because similar symptoms can have very different causes.
As an Orofacial Pain specialist, Dr. Bloxham evaluates pain involving the mouth, jaw, face, head, and related muscles and structures.
What Makes an Orofacial Pain Specialist Different?
If you search for a “myofascial pain specialist near me,” you may find many different types of healthcare providers.
Orofacial Pain is a dental specialty focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of pain involving the jaw, mouth, face, head, and related structures.
Dr. Jared Bloxham, DDS, MS, is a retired dentist who has transitioned his practice to focus specifically on Orofacial Pain.
Rather than providing general dental care, Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ is focused on helping patients who are dealing with complex pain involving the jaw, facial muscles, nerves, and related structures.
This focused approach allows us to spend more time understanding the nature of your pain and determining which conservative or interventional treatments may be appropriate.
Our Goal: Manage Your Pain and Understand What Is Driving It
When you are living with persistent pain, simply being told to “live with it” is not a satisfying answer.
At Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ, our goal is twofold:
First, we want to help manage your symptoms.
Pain can interfere with eating, sleeping, working, exercising, and enjoying everyday life. Finding appropriate ways to reduce your symptoms is an important part of treatment.
Second, we want to understand what may be contributing to your pain.
There may be physical, behavioral, muscular, neurological, or lifestyle factors involved. Sometimes there is a straightforward contributor. Other times, pain is more complex and requires a combination of treatment approaches.
We work with you to identify the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms and develop a plan that makes sense for your individual situation.
Myofascial Pain Treatment for the Tri-Cities
If you live in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, West Richland, or the surrounding Eastern Washington area, Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ provides specialized Orofacial Pain care close to home.
You may be a candidate for an evaluation if you are experiencing persistent:
- Facial muscle pain
- Jaw muscle tension
- Temple or forehead pain
- Neck and facial tension
- Jaw fatigue
- Muscle-related headaches
- Pain associated with clenching or grinding
- Chronic or recurring orofacial pain
You do not have to determine the cause of your pain before contacting us. Part of our role is evaluating your symptoms and determining what may be contributing to them.
Searching for a Myofascial Pain Specialist Near You?
If you are searching for a myofascial pain specialist near me, facial pain specialist near me, jaw muscle pain treatment, or Orofacial Pain specialist in Richland, WA, Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ may be able to help.
Dr. Jared Bloxham, DDS, MS, focuses on Orofacial Pain and provides individualized pain-management strategies that may include trigger point injections, therapeutic exercises, lifestyle modifications, and further evaluation when appropriate.
Our practice serves patients throughout Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and the surrounding Tri-Cities and Eastern Washington communities.
Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ
Richland, Washington
Dr. Jared Bloxham, DDS, MS
Orofacial Pain
If persistent muscle tension, facial pain, jaw discomfort, or other orofacial symptoms are interfering with your daily life, contact Columbia Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ to learn more about your treatment options.











