There is a muscle that is located at your temples, just above your ears, called the temporalis. This muscle is fan-shaped and is right where most people press their hands when they have a headache. And they are right!
The temporalis muscle does more than just cause headaches when it is tight, it will also cause jaw pain and will prevent your jaw from opening normally. The reason is because the tendons of the muscle go down to your lower jaw and when the muscle contracts it assists your jaw in closing. However, if it is in spasm it will hold fast on your jaw and you won’t be able to open your mouth without straining the muscle.
The treatment for this muscle is simple and most people do it automatically, they just treat it deeply enough or long enough. Put your three middle fingers on your temple and then clench your mouth shut. You’ll feel the muscle bulge. This is exactly where you’ll find the knots that cause headaches and that are a part of jaw pain and TMJ.
To treat the spasms, just feel up and down on the muscle, and when you feel little bumps that feel like a tiny pebble, that’s a spasm that needs to be treated. Just center your fingers on the knot and press into it. Hold the pressure for 15-30 seconds and then let go. Take a breath and do it again.
You can do this several times, each time it will help to release the muscle more and more until eventually it won’t hurt anymore. Then, just hold the pressure on the muscle and slowly open your jaw to stretch the muscle fibers.
You can find pictures that demonstrate this treatment, as well as treatments for just about everywhere in your body either in The Upper Body DVD, or by reading Treat Yourself to Pain Free Living.
Wishing you well,
Julie