INSPIRATION & EDUCATION

In my practice, I have seen this manifest in many ways. For instance, I treated a woman who was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia. She had intense face and ear pain (see ear below) and had been to the emergency room many times. She could not drive because of the medication. She was working with her naturopath, chiropractor, ENT, and others. She had taken rounds of antibiotics. What was missing was soft tissue manipulation of the neck muscles—so simple!

Scalene muscle dysfunction causes neck pain, headaches, migraines, head pain, TMJ pain, whole jaw pain, rib pain, and shoulder pain. The shape of the cervical spine is in-part determined by the health of the scalene muscles. Know this: it is only with gentle and consistent self-love—in the form of neck therapy, stretches, and breathing—that these muscles will take on a new shape, holding onto less tone and tension.

Understanding the function of the scalene muscles is vital to understanding your neck and jaw pain. It can also be vital in understanding your upper thoracic spine pain, rib pain, and shoulder pain.