Simple self-care: Relieve jaw tension
by Megan
Do you clench your jaw when stressed? Maybe you wake up with a headache in your temple after a night of grinding. You may even get tension headaches. If you tend to experience neck tension, you're likely to experience tension in the jaw.
The jaw has a resting state meant to minimize joint compression and muscle tension. The ideal relaxed posture of the jaw should:
Allow for space among the back teeth
Let the tongue rest at the top of the mouth
Allow for relaxed cheek muscles
Today we will explore exercises to maintain a comfortable resting state for your jaw.
Jaw anatomy 101
The jaw is the only double-hinged joint in the body.
These joints attach the lower mandible (jaw bone) to the skull and have a small disc in them. Cranial nerves also travel through these structures.
The jaw moves in three ways: opening, closing, and side to side.
Common temporomandibular joint (the jaw) issues are called TMJ dysfunctions. These present with pain in both the jaw joints and muscles, restricted jaw movement, and crepidus (noise from the jaw joint). Over 45% of TMJ cases come from muscular imbalance and tension in the attaching muscles. If you think you are suffering from TMJ issues, talk to your healthcare team (family doctor, massage therapists, physio) to get an assessment and care plan tailored to your needs.
Self-care practices for jaw tension
Let’s get into some self-care practices to release jaw and neck muscles. These are not exhaustive but are intended to add to your toolbox for managing jaw and neck tension.
To do these exercises, you’ll need:
A gua sha
a pair of tune-up balls
a block/thick book
space to be on the floor
No props? No problem! Head over to our prop shop to grab your own.
Face Gua sha
Use a Gua Sha tool to bring blood flow and circulation to the neck and face, while also reducing fascial and muscle adhesions.
This can be a regular practice that helps to manage tissue tension. A regular practice allows you to notice and adjust your baseline tension over time. You can also use this when stressed or to manage tension headaches.
Jaw self-massage
This is a short guided self-massage that targets some of the largest muscles of the jaw.
This practice can be done as needed to manage muscle tension or daily/weekly as preventative practice that focuses on muscle tension maintenance.
Jaw tune-up rolling
This practice uses tune-up balls to nourish the temporomandibular joint. You may need a block or a book to set up your props. Use bodyweight to lean into the balls. This static pressure helps to support tissue circulation and reduce muscle tone. This practice allows the major muscles of mastication (chewing) to release tension.
Use this practice as needed or every few weeks to help address acute tension and to maintain tissue health.
Want more resources?
Read: Simple Self-Care for headaches blog
Watch: myofascial release playlist on YouTube
Watch: desk workers playlist on YouTube
