In head, face and temporomandibular joint therapy (HFTJT), pain and other complaints are examined and treated according to the CRAFTA concept and/or osteopathically. In the CRAFTA concept, a distinction is made between the head/jaw (craniomandibular), head/neck (craniocervical) and head/face (craniofacial) regions. This serves to classify the origin of the complaints and helps the therapist to develop targeted treatment strategies.

The head and jaw region has long been examined and treated by physiotherapists and osteopaths. Symptoms such as craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) with symptoms such as bruxism, trismus, cracking noises, chewing disorders, pain, restricted mouth opening, jaw misalignment and others are treated here. Other head and neck-related complaints can also have their origin in a disturbed temporomandibular joint function. During therapy, the temporomandibular joint and its surrounding structures such as muscles, ligaments, nerves and fascia are examined for disorders inside and outside the oral cavity. Functional tests of the movements of the temporomandibular joint and a posture check of the entire body provide further information about the mutual influence of the body statics and temporomandibular joint mechanics.

There are also phenomena in the head/neck and head/face regions that can often be effectively influenced and treated therapeutically. These include dizziness, headaches, migraines, tinnitus, neuralgia (such as trigeminal neuralgia), swallowing disorders, speech disorders, visual disorders, hearing disorders, developmental disorders in children and also conditions after operations and trauma/accidents.

The symptoms in the head, face and temporomandibular joint area are very varied. There are already many specialists in these areas, such as: Doctors: ENT, dentists, neurologists, orthodontists, facial surgeons and therapists: speech therapists, specialized physiotherapists and osteopathic alternative practitioners. Cooperation between these various specialist groups is particularly important in the case of complex disorders.