Exercises that help to relieve and treat TMJD

I am a firm believer in teaching clients how to relieve their own pain and tension. If you have not checked out my Releasing Your Jaw video then I recommend starting there! Below are some other sips from a peer-reviewed Healthline.com article which I think are also useful! Try them out and let me know how it goes in your next session!

Here are a few TMJ self-massage exercises you can try on your own.

Consulting with a healthcare professional is highly recommended before embarking on a new exercise or self-massage routine. As a precursor to performing the self-massage techniques, it’s highly beneficial to connect with your breath in an effort to relax. Etlin-Stein has found, among her peers and in her own practice, that more clients have been coming in with TMJ issues since the start of the pandemic. The correlation between tension in the body and stress is widely known.

She says “As an RMT, we now understand that many of the benefits of massage therapy are mediated through the nervous system. Teaching relaxation skills can be an effective therapy for TMJ pain and so diaphragmatic breathing is one of many techniques I will often teach clients living with TMJ pain.” Taking a few minutes daily to focus on breathing in an effort to relax can have a tremendous effect on TMJD.

Masseter cross fiber massage

1. Make a fist with both hands.
2. Place the knuckles just under the cheekbone about an inch away from the ear.
3. Press firmly and move forward making continuous semi-circles.
4. Continue for 30–60 seconds.
5. Take a break and repeat the entire motion but with the mouth open.
   

Suboccipital friction massage

1. Take the first two fingers or thumb of each hand and place them at the back of the skull.
2. At the point just above where the skull meets the neck, you’ll feel two prominent bony protrusions.
3. Take the fingers and firmly press into the muscle and rub back and forth.
4. Cover as much of that bony protrusion as you like for 30–60 seconds.
5. Massaging the suboccipital group of muscles relieves tension in the neck and the masseter muscle.

Masseter kneading massage

1. 1. To find the masseter muscle again (under the cheekbone, about midway from the ear to the mouth), place your hands on your cheeks and clench your jaw. You’ll feel the muscle engage.

   2. Relax the jaw.

   3. Grab that muscle gently at first and pull away from the face and then side to side.

   4. Release and repeat moving up the muscle.

The bottom line

TMJ dysfunction can be very painful, affecting your quality of life. Symptoms of TMJD can spread beyond the jaw itself causing headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and even affecting the alignment of your teeth.
Working with a professional massage therapist like Julie Tracy has proven to be effective in alleviating symptoms and pain. Self-massage is not only an accessible means of self-care — it places you in a position of self-awareness and involvement in your own treatment. Dig in, get to work finding relief, and let me know how it goes in your next session!