When was the last time you smiled, ate, or talked? I’d bet it was within the last few hours, which means your TMJ has been hard at work! “TMJ” stands for temporomandibular joint – the joint that sits in front of your ears and allows movement of your jaw. This seemingly small joint is prudent in our day-to-day life, and if it’s not working optimally, it can show up as one of the following symptoms:
- “Clicking” jaw
- Discomfort when chewing/biting
- Inability to fully open mouth without pain
- Tenderness around jaw/neck
- Dull ache along jaw
- Headaches
While TMJ pain can be treated with manual massage, the discomfort could be a result of an underlying condition that requires the work of a dentist or orthodontist, such as gum disease or untreated cavities.
What Causes Jaw Pain?
Overuse
Just between eating and talking, we give our TMJ a run for its money, but what other stressors does it go through to cause fatigue? Simple actions like grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw can cause a strain in the muscles that close your mouth. Mouth breathing and forward head posture often hold the jaw at an awkward angle, similar to if you were to sit cross-legged for too long. Occupations such as singing require the jaw to move into unique positions for extended amounts of time, and often require the use of very finite face muscles.
Traumatic or Impact Injry
Though small and out-of-sight, the TMJ can still be jostled around. Whenever you experience whiplash or are struck in the head, your jaw can be strained or pulled due to the tightening neck muscles. High impact sports such as boxing, wrestling, or football can often involve your jaw being hit both by other competitors or along the floor/field when falling. Any case in which your head or face is injured, your TMJ will most likely be impacted in some manner.
What Muscles are Involved?
While there are many muscles that can impact jaw pain, we are going to look at 5 main ones: medial and lateral pterygoids, masseter, temporalis, and digastric. Collectively, these muscles control the movement of your jaw.
- Masseter: This is a thick muscle that runs from your cheekbone to your chin. If you place your hands on your cheeks and clench your jaw, you’ll be able to feel them contract.
- Pterygoids: The lateral pterygoid is a short muscle with 2 heads (meaning it splits into 2 bundles of muscle tissue), while the medial pterygoid is a thicker muscle with 2 heads. These are deep and run beneath your zygomatic arch (cheek bone).
- Temporalis: A common muscle for headaches, the temporalis runs from the coronoid process on your jaw (right below your cheekbone) up to your temple and side of your head. While thin and shaped like a fan, this muscle is strong and important in closing your jaw and shifting it side-to-side
- Digastric: A muscle that helps you open your jaw and swallow, it has 2 different bellies: one runs from the bottom of your jaw to your hyoid bone, the other runs from your hyoid bone to your mastoid process (right behind your ear). It is part of your suprahyoid muscle group.
Self-Massage Techniques
Before you start massaging, take a moment to assess the current state of your jaw. Open and close your mouth; do you feel any restrictions? Take note of the resistance you feel with either movement. Now take your fingers and place them gently in your ear. Rotate your hands so your fingertips are facing forward and apply very gentle pressure. Open and close your mouth again, this time feeling for any crackling tissue or slipping of the joint. Is one side noisier than the other? If so, let’s start there! When working with the jaw, only work 1 side at a time and be sure to wash your hands before starting – we will be working inside the mouth.
Intra-oral Technique
- Gently open your mouth and place your pointer finger on the inside of your cheek. Use your thumb on the outside of your mouth to gently pinch your cheek
- Clench your jaw lightly to locate the muscle – it will most likely be deeper than you expect
- With your jaw loose and the muscle in-between your thumb and finger, rub your fingers together in a circular motion
- Do this until you feel the fibers begin to loosen, then move your fingers upward/downward and repeat to get the whole muscle.
Exterior masseter and pterygoids
- With your jaw relaxed, run 2 fingers from your cheekbone to the base of your jaw 3-4 times
- Find the angle of your jaw, and glide 1 finger half-way along the base of your jaw. Repeat 3-4 times
- To work the medial pterygoid, be very gentle and avoid any lymphatic structures. Find the angle of your jaw and curl your thumb gently under the bone. You should not be curled around the angle itself, but a 2 finger-width from it.
- Slowly tilt your head towards your hand, allowing your thumb to gently slide deeper under your jaw. Apply steady pressure for 8-10 seconds
- Repeat 3-4 times.
Temporalis
- With your jaw relaxed, run 3 fingers from your cheekbone up past your temple to your hairline
- Repeat 3-4 times
- Starting at your hairline, gently scrub the thin muscle, moving from the hairline to above your ear
- Place your finger tips at your temple hairline and gently apply pressure in and up. Open and close your jaw 3-4 times.