Jaw Pain and Tension: Why It’s Rarely Just About Your Jaw
If you wake up with an achey jaw, notice you are clenching and holding your breath during the
day when stress is high, or have had your partner tell you that the sound of teeth grinding in the middle of the night is giving horror movie vibes then it might be time to do something about it.
What I often see
There is a spectrum from some neck and jaw tension to serious night guard wearing and cannot open mouth wide enough without pain to do a morning teeth cleaning. All of this is treatable when we zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
It is rarely just the jaw. Most people who come in with jaw pain or TMJ-type tension arrive with a cluster of complaints: tight upper traps, a stiff neck, tension headaches, and a lot of stress. Often the stress is the thread that ties it all together. It shows up as clenching, hunched shoulders, and a body that never quite switches off.
Why only treating the jaw falls short
The jaw doesn’t work in isolation. It’s connected to your neck, your upper back, the joint where your shoulder blade meets your ribcage, and your posture. When any of those areas are dysfunctional, the jaw often picks up the slack. The contributing factors are different for everyone, and so is the treatment.
What treatment looks like
Every plan is customized, but a session often includes some combination of:
Gua sha or Cupping on the upper back and traps to release the tension that pulls on the jaw and neck
Trigger point release in the surrounding tissues
Local needling in muscles and in the joint itself
Moxibustion to help calm inflammation in the joint
Constitutional Acupuncture points to move stagnant energy and ease the stress that is almost always part of the picture
Ear Seeds if the body is always in fight or flight and we want to take it down a notch
How long it takes
Most people can expect significant relief within one to three sessions. Once the acute phase has settled, many patients come back for maintenance care every month or two, depending on their unique needs. Most patients are annoyed they did not try this before and are surprised on how painless the whole experience is.
Ready for relief?
If jaw pain or tension has been wearing on you, I’d love to help. Your first conversation with me is complimentary, part of my job is education on whether or not Acupuncture is a good fit.
