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 Minute Minute Massage for Jaw Tension and TMJ
Some of my clients mention jaw tension or TMJ as a chronic problem. This tension causes teeth-grinding, jaw pain, and referred pain to other areas of the head and neck. Try doing these techniques on yourself two to three times a day for about 5 minutes.
- Rub your face at the jaw line with the fingers or the heel of your hand. Move your hand in small circles over the jaw line, paying special attention to the end of the jaw closest to the ear. With the heel of your hands on your jaw, clench your teeth, you’ll feel a bulging muscle – it’s the masseter, the main muscle used to close your jaw.
- Massage the Masseter: Now that you’ve found the masseter, take one hand, and put the thumb inside the mouth resting against the muscle. Using your thumb and forefinger, rub, pinch and massage your masseter.
- Press the Jaw Chariot Acupressure Point: This point is located near the bottom of the masseter, close to the outside corner of the jaw. Press inward with two or three fingers on each side, pressing deep enough that you experience mild discomfort, but not pain. Hold this point for two to three minutes.
- Press Acupressure Points Near the Ear: Press right in front of the ear, in front of the small triangular part of your ear. You’ll feel a small hollow that widens if you open your jaw. Place your middle finger there, and your third finger where the top of your ear meets your head, and your forefinger where the bottom of your ear meets your head. Press inward into the skull with all three fingers at once. Make sure you’re pressing the lower point of the three with firm pressure.
Try to do these steps about for about 5 minutes a couple of times a day. Remember to go to your primary healthcare physician for any chronic or severe jaw pain so that serious issues may be diagnosed and treated. Enjoy!
 Gift Ideas
Give a gift certificate for massage and relieve the stress and tension of a friend or loved one.
Gift ideas:
- Wedding
- Birthday
- Anniversary
- New Baby
- Host Guest
- Mother's Day/Father's Day Gift
 2007 Rates & Hours
- 45 min - $60
- 60 min Swedish/Relaxation - $70
- 60 min with Deep Tissue, Muscle Release Therapy, Craniosacral or Reflexology - $75
- 90 min - $95
Tuesday: 9 am to 6 pm
Wednesday: 11 am to 7 pm
Thursday: 9 am to 6 pm
Friday: 11 am to 7 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 4:30 pm
*by appointment only (Call 615.294-6672)
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| May 13, 2007 |
| Heather's Note |
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Welcome to May and the start of the summer!
My husband has been in India for 3 1/2 weeks and just returned on Sunday, safe and sound! He's a little jet-lagged, but at least he's getting to sleep in his own bed and eat powdered donuts and oreos.
The end of the school year brings finals for students, teachers and parents. To that end, this month I'm writing about the connection between headaches and massage, explaining how massage can be used to treat headaches.
Have a wonderful May!
- heather wibbels (615.294-6672)
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| How Can Massage Help My Headache?
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A dull throbbing pain encircles your head. You know a headache as soon as it starts. Sometimes they only last for an hour or two, but severe headaches can last as long as four days. The medical community has many ways of treating headaches, and since stress can be a primary cause of them, consider massage a treatment option.
Although many types, tension headaches are the most common type of headache – they cause a mild to moderate pain felt in a diffuse band around the front and sides of the head. Tension-type headaches are associated with muscular tension in the jaw, neck and head region. However, these headaches are sometimes caused by stimulus other than muscle tension including “poor posture, working in awkward positions, stress, depression and anxiety” (See MayoClinic.com “Tension-type Headaches”). The main factors contributing to tension-type headaches are also symptoms and conditions that massage treats.
The relationship between stress/anxiety and headaches is well-documented. Alternative medicine uses massage to promote wellness by reducing stress and inducing relaxation. Studies show increased relaxation and reduced stress levels during and after massage. In addition, muscle release resulting from massage can relax the areas of tension contributing to headaches, reducing their duration: “The massage group reported fewer distress symptoms, less pain, more headache free days, fewer sleep disturbances and taking fewer analgesics.” (See Hernandez-Reif, M., Field, T., Dieter, J., Swerdlow. & Diego, M. “Migraine Headaches are Reduced by Massage Therapy” International Journal of Neuroscience, 96, 1-11.). Both the stress-reduction and muscle-relaxing results of massage therapy address the main causes of tension-type headaches.
Some types of massage may be particularly effective in reducing the symptoms of headaches. Swedish massage, since it concentrates on muscle relaxation, is an excellent means to address muscle tension in the head and neck area. Acupressure has many points to induce muscle relaxation in specific areas as well as points that lower anxiety and stress. Neuromuscular Therapy uses the location of the referred pain and palpation to find and release those tight trigger points. Reflexology can induce deep relaxation, and it can target pain specific to the head and neck area.
Many of the benefits of massage treat causative factors of headaches. The increased amount of stress in our lives means headaches can be frequent. Whether you use massage as a way to decrease your stress level or as a means to relax muscular tension held in the head, neck and back, you may be reducing the duration or frequency of your headaches with regular massage. Remember that chronic or sudden severe headaches may call for a visit to your primary health care provider. Do not hesitate to get him/her involved in the treatment of headaches.
You can treat yourself with massage techniques to assist with tension headache pain and frequency. For a short self-massage routine I've put together for my clients to use to help with headaches, go to Self Massage for Headaches. If you'd like a demonstration of the techniques, I can show them to you during a massage session. Call 615-294-6672 to schedule an appointment. For more information see the following sites:
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