TMJ
TMJ what does it stand for?
The Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your mandible to your temporal bone (skull). It is a bilateral joint and that means both sides must function together as one unit. This is unique and therefore this joint is simultaneously predisposed to malfunction.
The TMJ is divided by a fibrous articular disc into a lower and an upper part. The movements are depression (open your mouth), elevation (close your mouth), protrusion and retraction. We also have the complex “chewing” and “side-to-side” movements from the lower jaw.
The main muscles that are generating motion of your mouth are masseter, temporalis, pterygoideus lateralis and medialis, digastric and some hyoid muscles.
WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS IN YOUR JAW?
Problems can be related to trauma, stress, anxiety, bruxism during the day or night or posture of your back and neck.
Bruxism is one of the main reasons and very often you don’t even realise that you clench or grind your teeth together especially if it happens while sleeping. And then there is our well known posture that has a huge impact on our TMJ.
A poor posture results in a forward head position that creates altered length-tension relationship in between the muscles. Some of them become hypertonic and raise the imbalance even more. This imbalance needs to be corrected again.
As a massage therapist we will focus on your muscles and posture. Not just the muscles around your jaw but your whole body. Working through your body will free your mind, release tension and stress.
The specific TMJ treatment will be done external and internal that means we have to go inside your mouth.
There are different massage techniques to treat your joints and muscles. We either do “trigger point” or “deep tissue” massage. Both techniques could be combined with dry needling to get rid of those nasty knots.
Knots that can lead to headache as well as coordination problems to move your mouth properly. We will also go through stretching and strengthening exercises if we consider it necessary.