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

Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton | Alex G | Flickr

Unearthed Eric Clapton interview reveals devastating details that inspired "Tears in Heaven"

British rocker Eric Clapton has had a plethora of hits over his long music career. But one of his most famous songs, "Tears in Heaven", is getting an in-depth look in the musician's new film special, Eric Clapton Unplugged… Over 30 Years Later. (The 90-minute film will be released on Paramount+ on Feb. 12.)

It centers on Clapton's iconic MTV Unplugged set from 1992, where he performed an acoustic version of “Tears in Heaven.” And in a newly resurfaced interview for the special, he dives more into the heartbreaking background story to the song's lyrics that were inspired by his son Conor's death and subsequent grief journey.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man and woman kissing in the kitchen

Welcome to the "Boy and Girl apartment" trend

Unsplash

Women living in beautiful apartments share their secrets to co-habitating with a boyfriend

Blending styles can be difficult. Naturally, when two or more people are brought together, their visions aren’t always going to mesh. Like getting a haircut then realizing, after they spin you around for the big reveal, that your barber actually didn’t “totally get” the inspiration photo you brought in. Or teaming up with some friends for a group project in school who you didn't realize were petrified of public speaking. Or, take One Direction for example. Five solo singers who at didn't get along at all at first, brought together only after Simon Cowell corralled them all into a boy band.


Keep ReadingShow less
airport, flying, airport travel
person standing with holding luggage bag

Psychologist reveals exactly why everyone acts weird at airports

Fewer places bring out weirder human behavior than airports. Sleeping on floors? Acceptable. Paying $8 for a bag of chips? Acceptable. And 9 a.m. beers? Totally acceptable. Time (and personal space) seems to suspend itself when you're traveling in them. And psychologist Steve Taylor, a Senior Psychology Lecturer at Leeds Beckett University, explained exactly why everything and everyone feels so weird when you're in an airport with The Conversation.

Simply put: airports cause disorientation. "Due to the haziness of time and place, airports create a sense of disorientation," he explains. "We define ourselves in terms of time and place. We know who we are in relation to our daily routines and our familiar environments. We also define ourselves in terms of nationality. Without such markers, we may feel adrift."

Keep ReadingShow less
10-year-old violin prodigy stuns airport travelers with flawless Vivaldi duet
Representative photo by Canva

10-year-old violin prodigy stuns airport travelers with flawless Vivaldi duet

A beautiful blend of talent, courage, and classical music left Rome Airport travelers in awe when a 10-year-old violin prodigy, Yeonah Kim (@yeonah_kim_violin on Instagram), performed an impromptu duet with pianist Julien Cohen. The duo’s breathtaking rendition of Vivaldi’s “Summer” turned the airport’s Terminal 1 into an unexpected concert hall, captivating both onlookers and millions of viewers online.

  Representative photo by Sebastian Mark | Unsplash 

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Madeline Delp's TikTok video

Madeline Delp records her encounter with a parking attendant.

TikTok | @madelinedelp

Woman chased down over disabled parking spot despite being completely within her rights

A woman using a wheelchair was left shaken after a parking attendant chased her downhill and berated her for parking in a disabled spot—despite her having every legal right to do so. Madeline Delp (@madelinedelp on TikTok) shared the unsettling experience in a series of videos, sparking outrage and support from viewers.

Delp had parked in a wheelchair-accessible spot near a business complex before heading to a doctor's appointment. However, as she made her way down a hill, a parking attendant aggressively pursued her, accusing her of misusing the spot.

Keep ReadingShow less