Jaw pain is rarely entirely in the jaw! If you were building a tower, and one of the floors wasn’t level, it would affect the floors above it — unless you somehow compensated. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is kind of like that, only it’s because it has settled unevenly on the ground beneath it. … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: asymmetries in the rest of the body affect the jaw joints
Tag: TMJ Massage
A new clue about bruxism. A neurology practice noted that of its patients who had restless legs syndrome (RLS), 60% also had bruxism (grinding teeth during sleep). Eighty-three percent had RLS and migraines, and 52% had RLS, migraines, and bruxism. Do you relate? The lead neurologist for this study speculated there is a gene that … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: restless legs and sleep bruxism
Based on patients I’ve seen for jaw pain since 2013, I created this portrait of a typical patient. And of course, I’ve seen other patients who don’t fit these criteria. She’s female. It's been said that women are nine times more likely to suffer from jaw pain. She first experienced jaw pain in her teen … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: portrait of a typical patient
I’ve learned that some widely used medications can cause jaw clenching and grinding as side effects. The best known are in a class called SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, commonly prescribed for depression and/or anxiety. I'm sure you've heard of Prozac (generic name fluoxetine). Here are some other SSRIs that can cause bruxism. There may … Continue reading Treating TMJ Issues: some medications cause jaw clenching
Recently I've had two clients come in for TMJ relief sessions who have previously seen multiple practitioners who worked inside their mouths. Between them, they have seen chiropractors, chiropractic neurologists, Rolfers, dentists trained by the Las Vegas Institute (LVI), and/or other massage therapists. Each of these clients told me "No one has ever touched me … Continue reading Treating TMJ Issues: choose a practitioner who works on your lateral pterygoids
Learning how to de-stress yourself is huge. Everyone experiences stress. It’s just part of life. Stress becomes an issue when there’s too much of it, and your system has trouble rebounding resiliently to a calm, alert state. How is this relevant to TMJ issues? So much TMJ misery is related to chronic and acute stress. … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: de-stress quickly with these breathing techniques
You have nine jaw muscles: two pairs of large ones on the outside of your head (the masseters and temporalises), four small ones inside your mouth (two medial pterygoids and two lateral pterygoids), and one in the floor of your mouth (digastric). Any of them can get trigger points. What is a trigger point? It’s … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: releasing trigger points in your jaw muscles
Previously I shared two links to YouTube recordings of music to heal the throat chakra in this post, in case you missed it. Today, I want to share more about this. Keep in mind that the throat chakra includes the throat, jaw, chin, mouth, lips, cheeks, nose, and ears — basically from the clavicles to … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: music and meditation to heal the throat chakra
The sphenoid bone is one of the most fascinating bones in the body. If you were looking at someone and could see their bones, the sphenoid would be behind their eyes and in front of their ears, with the outermost parts (the greater wings) accessible at the temples, and the lowermost parts (the pterygoid processes) … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: the role of the sphenoid bone
Recently I wrote about how acupuncture can help relieve jaw pain and the stress that often accompanies it. Today's post is about doing acupressure on yourself for TMJ issues. Keep in mind that if you see an acupuncturist, they will do an evaluation that may show other issues that they can address, with a focus … Continue reading Treating TMJ issues: acupressure points for self-care