TMJ Focused Massage Treatment

That headache you've had now for a couple of weeks, can't get it to go away? Are you having pain or tightness through your jaw especially when eating or chewing? Do you have audible clicking while opening and closing your mouth? Stiff, tight neck muscles? These are all common issues associated with the jaw but, your first option might not have to be the dentist! The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. You have one joint on each side of your jaw. TMJ dysfunction can cause pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement.

A lot of people tend to clench their jaw for many different reasons. When you are stressed, nervous, overtired, concentrating too hard and sometimes even out of habit or while you are sleeping. Now, imagine the muscles that you use to clench your jaw, actively clenching all day, add in every time you eat and even more if you do that while you sleep. You can imagine the amount of stress we are putting on these small but mighty muscles. Massage can be a really great option to help with the pain you are feeling in the surround neck, jaw and face muscles.

RMT's are trained in anatomy and specific treatment surrounding TMJ dysfunction. The treatment involves treating the outside as well as the inside of the mouth (please note that gloves are worn by the therapist) Although, initially some clients find this uncomfortable, my clients have told me that the notable decreased tension felt after even one treatment is worth it. I'm certainly not saying that one treatment will solve all of your problems, but making TMJ work a regular part of your massage treatment will make a significant difference in your jaw related pain. So what are you waiting for, try it today!