kicker naturally headache free
By Kelsie Kenefick
Clench … and Release
Is jaw tension contributing to your headaches?
EVERYONE CARRIES TENSION DIFFERENTLY. In the face of bad news, some people tense their shoulders; others tense their neck. But if you hold your tension in your jaw or grind your teeth, this could be leading to more than just a sore mouth.
Tension in the jaw— and the resulting tension radiating from the jaw— can cause muscle tension headaches and contribute to migraines by restricting blood flow. That’ s why relaxing your jaw is crucial to eliminating headache pain.
Some people are aware that they clench or grind their teeth, but others have no idea they are doing it— for example, people who grind their teeth when they sleep. Here are some questions that can help you determine whether you hold tension in the jaw area:
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Does your jaw ever feel sore?
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Are your teeth wearing?
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Has your partner told you that you grind your teeth while you are sleeping?
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Are your teeth touching right now or are they slightly apart?
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Is your tongue relaxed and lying on the bottom of your mouth or is it holding tension and touching the roof of your mouth?
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Has your dentist told you it looks like you grind your teeth or recommended a night splint?
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Can you easily open your jaw to three finger widths without straining?
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Do you experience clicking or popping in your jaw?
There are many reasons people have excess tension in their jaw. People clench or grind their teeth when they are feeling physical pain, repressing anger or holding back something they want to say. Problems can also result from poor dental work or a motor vehicle
accident, which can throw the jaw out of alignment, creating temporomandibular joint( TMJ) disorders.
Dentists often prescribe night splints if a person has a problem with clenching or grinding. These splints can help protect the teeth from damage and wear, but they generally do not get to the root of the problem— the contraction of the muscles in the jaw.
That’ s why it pays to familiarize yourself with the bones and muscles in the TMJ area. Take particular notice of the masseter and pterygoid muscles( Fig. 1), as these are the muscles that generally constrict when people clench and / or grind their teeth. The masseter,
Figure 1
Masseter
DEEPER VIEW
Lateral Pterygoid Medial Pterygoid
located directly below the surface of the skin, is the primary muscle used for chewing, talking, and opening and closing the mouth. The supporting pterygoid muscles are deeper and can be felt only from within the mouth.
Constriction in the masseter and pterygoid muscles creates jaw tension, but it can also create increased muscle tension in the head that radiates into the temples, causing the temporalis muscles to tighten. This can, in turn, lead to headaches.
TAKING CONTROL
Excess clenching or grinding can damage your teeth— and necessitate very expensive dental work— but it is also preventable. You simply need to become aware of
44 HEAD WISE | Volume 1, Issue 2 • 2011