Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

For more than five years, Reddit user u/User2000ss lived with a persistent click in his jaw. The likely culprit? A boxing injury. Anytime he opened his mouth wide, it would shift or pop - sometimes painfully, but always annoyingly. He’d tried everything: pressing on the joint, doctor visits, even multiple MRIs. Nothing worked. So he chalked it up to permanent damage and moved on.

Then one day, almost on a whim, he asked ChatGPT what might be going on.


That spontaneous question triggered a chain of events that’s now blowing people’s minds.

media1.tenor.com

ChatGPT explained that the issue might be a slightly displaced but still mobile jaw disc, a common component of TMJ disorders. It also suggested a controlled jaw-opening technique that emphasized tongue placement and symmetry, a physical therapy-inspired movement that helps retrain how the jaw opens.

"I followed the instructions for maybe a minute max and suddenly… no click," the original poster wrote. "I opened and closed my jaw over and over again and it tracked perfectly. Still no clicking today. After five years of just living with it, this AI gave me a fix in a minute. Unreal."


"After five years of just living with it, this AI gave me a fix in a minute. Unreal."

u/User2000ss

This seemingly simple technique has sparked a wave of jaw-dropping reactions, literally and figuratively.

media1.tenor.com

A viral fix that’s helping thousands

Since the post went live, the replies have been nothing short of astonishing. Comment after comment reads like something out of a medical miracle thread.

u/Calm_Opportunist replied, "Hahaha... wtf... You just fixed mine too. When I was a teenager some kid was a bit overeager in MMA class and it's cracked and clicked ever since. It just stopped because of this..."

u/PigleythePig chimed in: "Same! I’ve had this click in my jaw since I was 20. 17 years later and there’s a super simple fix. What the hell?"

media1.tenor.com

Another user, u/wardendelete, summed up the disbelief many were feeling: "Wait wait wait, I have mine for over 8 years and it just gone away wtf."


"17 years later and there’s a super simple fix. What the hell?"

u/PigleythePig

What is this magic trick?

The instructions, as shared later by u/User2000ss, were surprisingly straightforward:

  • Sit upright with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed.
  • Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth.
  • Lightly press a finger on the side of your jaw that clicks.
  • Slowly open your mouth just until the point before it clicks.
  • Hold for one second, then close.
  • Repeat ten times, a few times a day.

This method, he says, likely strengthens the lateral pterygoid muscle, one of the deep muscles responsible for controlling jaw movement. And experts are chiming in to back it up.

A dentist, u/jwilson02, offered more context: “What you all are doing is manipulating your medial pterygoid muscle. Think of it like a kneecap that is very unstable and you are using your hand to hold it in place while you extend your leg.”

media1.tenor.com

Other commenters pointed to helpful medical resources like the NHS jaw exercises and ENT clinic PDFs, which outline similar movement-based treatments.


"Think of it like a kneecap that is very unstable and you are using your hand to hold it in place."

u/jwilson02, dentist

So is this the future of self-diagnosis?

As wild as this story sounds, it’s probably less about ChatGPT pulling some revolutionary insight from thin air, and more about connecting existing medical knowledge in a fast, user-friendly way.

The original poster had already been through traditional channels like MRIs, ENT appointments, dentist referrals. What he hadn’t gotten was this specific method, which appears to be common in TMJ-focused physical therapy.

Commenter u/Metakit said it best: “It’s unfortunately quite common for people with chronic and low severity ailments like OP to be simply moved around a system for a long time… An LLM can be useful in this respect… but it’s a far cry from genuinely innovating medical interventions.”

media1.tenor.com

Still, the speed and accessibility of this experience left an impression. A fix that had eluded a team of professionals showed up in 60 seconds thanks to a well-worded prompt. And the fact that it’s working for so many others makes the story all the more compelling.

A note of caution

Not everyone experienced a miracle. A few users reported no change or temporary relief. As always, what works for one person may not work for another. TMJ disorders are complex, and persistent symptoms should always be checked by a medical professional.

Still, this unexpected AI win is giving hope to people who’d long given up.

And it’s sparking a bigger question: If this is what a chatbot can help with today… what comes next?

media1.tenor.com

More For You

Mom, mom and son, working mom
woman in gray sweater carrying baby in blue and white shirt
Photo by Gabe Pierce on Unsplash

Toddler's sweet messages for working mom on doorbell cam melts hearts

Doorbell cameras have captured so many iconic moments. From a UPS driver grateful for snacks left out at a home she was delivering at, to a new mom receiving heartfelt parenting advice from her mom during a visit, to an Amazon driver doing a solid for a woman looking to conceal her purchases from her husband--they do so much more than serve as a security tool.

And for first-time and working mom Hannah Bell, her doorbell camera has helped her create beautiful memories with her toddler, Landon, each morning she is away from home at the office. Bell shared with Newsweek, "I started consistently leaving for work before my son woke up in the morning, so we didn't get to see each other most mornings."

Keep ReadingShow less
Widow refused to share inheritance as teen stepdaughter faces homelessness—backlash erupts
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Mikhail Nilov; Reddit | u/Spiritual_Alps3413

Widow refused to share inheritance as teen stepdaughter faces homelessness—backlash erupts

Inheritance disputes often lead to heated debates, especially when a family is divided. One woman recently sparked outrage after revealing that she inherited her late husband’s entire estate—nearly a million dollars—without leaving anything for his 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Posting on Reddit as u/Spiritual_Alps3413, the widow asked if she was wrong for keeping everything while her stepdaughter and her mother struggled to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kathleen Thorson, her husband, and four children in the hospital.

Having ushered four lives into the world, Kathleen then made a choice that would save 12 more.

GoFundMe

After welcoming newborn, mom’s heartbreaking last decision saves 12 lives

Kathleen Thorson had a beautiful life—a loving husband, Jesse, and four cherished children, including their newborn son, Teddy. But just days after welcoming her baby, Kathleen suffered a devastating brain hemorrhage. Despite every medical effort, she would not recover. Instead of focusing on her own tragedy, Kathleen chose to leave behind a powerful legacy: donating 12 of her organs to those in desperate need.

Kathleen’s extraordinary act of generosity was nearly unheard of. Organ donations of this magnitude are incredibly rare, making her final gift even more remarkable. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to support Jesse and their children—Danny, Grace, James, and Teddy—helping them navigate life without her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chris Hemsworth's response to his daughter's big question deserves applause

Chris explains what happened.

Image from ellentube/YouTube video.

Chris Hemsworth's response to his daughter's big question deserves applause

Chris Hemsworth might be best known for swinging a hammer as the Norse god of thunder in “Thor: Ragnarok,” but when it comes to being a dad, he’s just as legendary. The 35-year-old actor and father-of-three had a standout parenting moment that proves he’s more than just a superhero on screen.

It started with a curious question from his daughter

In a 2015 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hemsworth shared a story that starts with his daughter, 4-year-old India, having a very specific question about anatomy—and ends with a beautiful message about identity and acceptance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gay teen asks friend's mom permission to attend girls-only sleepover. She handled it beautifully.
Reddit

Gay teen asks friend's mom permission to attend girls-only sleepover. She handled it beautifully.

For many young people, sleepovers have long been cherished occasions to bond with close friends - sharing late-night chats, snacking on treats, and revealing deep dark secrets. It's within these intimate gatherings that unbreakable connections and lifelong friendships are often forged. When Mason Brian Barclay's new best friend, Houston Shelton, invited him to a sleepover at her house, he was eager to take part in this rite of passage. However, Houston's parents had instituted a strict no-opposite-sex rule, meaning only girls were allowed.

Undaunted by the gender-based restriction, Barclay decided to directly appeal to Houston's mother, making a thoughtful case for why she should allow him to participate. "Hey, Mrs. Shelton! This is Mason Brian Barclay, I am one of Houston's new best friends. If she had people over on Friday, would I, a very homosexual male, be able to take part in the sleepover?" he asked her in a text message. "I think the common meaning behind only allowing the same sex to share sleepovers is due to the typical interest in the opposite sex when in this case, I do not like the opposite sex."

Keep ReadingShow less