TMJ – Relief, there is a way.
Ouch! TMJ a bugger when you just feel into that good sleep, roll over and a siring pain shoots through your jaw. TMJ also know is Temporal Mandibular Joint dysfunction. Many American’s headache/ migraine symptoms are caused due to TMJ. Though in fact, you do not have to live in pain. TMJ is specifically categorized as pain in front of the ear(s), due to; mandibular joint misalignment, a blow to the face, entrapment of the facial nerve, clinching of the jaw, or even grinding of the teeth.
Many times a month a client will approach my with symptoms of TMJ, telling me about the pain they feel in the side of their face/ jaw, headache right along the temple area, even pain in the base of the skull. My instructor, Cynthia Ribeiro, encouraged me to always relate with my client’s whole life “Not only about the full glass of pain, but every drop of activity that is inside”. In a lot of cases the person is unaware of the effects the jaw has on the body when balancing the head and the way the body will compensate to allow for you to walk in a straight line towards a balanced horizon.
Last week a client came into my studio at Dynamic Touch Massage in New Port Beach, CA, with the face of anguish over a sharp pain she felt towards the end of her left shoulder and a blinding headache at top right corner of her eye. She was guided through a battery of assessments finding that she plays golf as a righty 2 times a week – every week and clinches her teeth whenever her boss walks past the reception desk. She told me “he has the bladder of a teacup Poodle”. Amongst our laughter, the conversation gave clarity of plausible causes to the discomfort as we proceeded with the massage.
After providing some Neuromuscular therapy combined with techniques
from Functional Range Release to the scalenes, masseter, trapezius, and the scalp. The migraine began to dissipate along with her face of anguish, by the end of the session she had increased neck mobility and could open her jaw wider.
Now as a healthcare educator my work is never done, especially with her migraine, because she has work tomorrow with her “teacup Poodle”. We must continue her progression by adding some new patterns taught from the Functional Range Conditioning Systems through daily CAR’s (Controlled Articular Rotations) for the neck, torso, and shoulders all to provide greater range allowing for more movement options.
10 years of bodywork, I have found a lot of times we are limited to only a few ranges of motion in a day. From the bed, to the car, the desk, to the car, straight to the bed, maybe some gym. Ultimately limiting us in the full spectrum range of motion we are blessed with creating.
My passion is empowering clients with G.O.A.L.S. (Gaining Options and Leveraging Strengths) through controlling strength at the end range of motion. The belief that when the body has options of movement, will lessen the severity of injury if not prevent injury due to joint resilience from daily CAR’s. Let’s get you right. Mobility is capability and capability is power. Why stay in pain with no gain?