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TMJ Pain Relieving Therapy: What Jaw and Neck Muscles Do We Work On?

Updated: 12 hours ago


A woman is receiving TMJ massage to the inside of her jaw.

Women can receive intra-oral massage therapy directly to the deep TMJ muscles. TMJ and neck therapy can end cycles of headaches, migraines, facial pain, ear pain and ear fullness, and more.


TMJ THERAPY = Muscle Balance Restored


To the average person, the jaw seems like a mystery. And when we feel like a body part is a mystery, we are disempowered from taking charge of our health.


The jaw has a unique, fascinating, and beautiful joint (temporomandibular joint/TMJ) and overall structure. Wellness in the TMJ is crucial to your overall health (more on this to come in other posts). Here is some great news, just like all other parts of your body, you can work on reclaiming muscle balance and nervous system health right to your TMJ.


In this post, I will quickly name some of the TMJ muscles that we work on in a therapy session. In an hour-long session, we are working the head, neck, and TMJ muscles but we won't be able to get to everything. This therapy is slow and detailed, so we may get to different muscles during different sessions. As treatment progresses, more areas will "open up" and treatment can become "deeper."


As we work together, we also address muscles such as the psoas (hip flexor), the QL (think low back), and the diaphragm (under the ribcage).


By performing direct touch medicine on these TMJ muscles, we create the joint space your body is asking for!


A few of the muscles worked on:


Lateral Pterygoid - Depresses and protrudes the jaw.

Bilaterally these muscles create a slight horizontal action through subtle rotation of the condyle. One side works, one side follows. This is especially relevant in the mind-body techniques I have developed.


Medial Pterygoid- Elevates and protrudes the mandible.

Assists the Lateral P. in side to side.


Masseter - Elevation & Protrusion. Small head also retracting and stabilizing.

This muscle bulks up when hypertonic. Even if the tension is bilateral, one side can appear larger depending on where hypertrophy occurs. Women report a "slimmer" looking cheek as health to the masseter is restored (no botox needed!)


Temporalis - Elevation and retraction of the mandible.

Hugely powerful muscle.


Digastric - Widely opens the mandible. Elevates the hyoid.

Important for jaw alignment during protraction. Participates in neck extension. Hyoid health is essential for things such as signing and swallowing.


Other areas we may work: the palate (great for migraines), the soft tissue around the teeth (scar tissue). & more!


Fact: Truly therapeutic TMJ therapy can not exist without neck therapy. Your jaw influences your neck and your neck influences your jaw. Forward head hanging posture directly hurts your TMJ health and causes jaw pain. Manual therapy to the neck assists in removing restrictions in the cervical sleeve, allowing you to have better posture and turn down pain signals.


In these sessions, depending on the frequency of visits, we are accessing the muscles that wrap around the cervical spine, the front, the sides, and the back of the neck.


It is also true that the sacrum and pelvic floor are related to TMJ health. That is why all my pelvic floor therapy sessions include TMJ therapy.


More information about the TMJ, neck, and pelvic floor muscles in future posts. For now, I hope you find a little relief in this knowledge. Your jaw is not a mystery. It is just another part of your body surrounded by and influenced by soft tissue.


All is changeable. All is changing.


Peace & Love,

Tara


Want to Know More?


I have more posts coming soon, including detailed posts on stretching the scalene muscles.


Check out my books on health and wellness!



This is the cover to The Elemental Woman book. A book on Ayurveda focused on women's health.

The Elemental Woman

A Conversation for the Modern Western Woman Inspired by the Healing Wisdom of the Ancient Eastern Sage


This shows the cover of Food & Mood Journal. A mindfulness journal for women's health to connect emotions and food.

Food & Mood Journal

 A tracking guide to connect the food you eat, the emotions you feel, and increase the feeling of deep self-love



This imagine show the cover of the Mindful Movement Journal. A mindfulness journal for women's health that connects emotions and movement and fitness.

Mindful Movement Journal

 A tracking guide to connect the motions you make, the emotions you feel, and increase the feeling of deep self-love



This image shows the cover of Basic Ayurveda. This is a hard cover women's health book that is a colorful refine guide to the main The Elemental Woman book. The Elemental Woman is a women's health book.

Basic Ayurveda 

The Elemental Woman Supplement Guide





 About the author:

Since 2004, Tara Lee Clasen has been assisting women on their healing adventures. As a woman-focused physical medicine provider, also trained in Eastern medicine, she knows transformation is possible and knows that with reflection and self-love, your future is full of bright possibilities.



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