The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. Commonly, problems in this region are related to triggering points and general tension in the strongest muscle of your body, the masseter, which is responsible for opening and closing the jaw. This muscle is so strong that it can generate about 68 kilograms of pressure in the average human bite!
We use this tremendous force to chew and grind our food, but we can also often use it when we are under stress or in angry, tense situations. Tension patterns, strains, and trigger points can upset the balance of the joint, creating clicking, skewing bite patterns, limiting the range of motion at the joint. While this usually causes mild to intense pain, it can also have other direct impacts, creating tension headaches, earaches, toothaches, dizziness, tinnitus, and teeth grinding (bruxism).
A TMJ massage is a very focused and specific style of massage therapy that targets the masseter muscle, as well as many other muscles in the neck, face, jaw and inside the mouth that also contribute to pain, discomfort, dysfunction and other symptoms. Because everything in the body is connected, it is important to treat the systemic patterns that facilitate TMJ dysfunction.
Incorporating Intra-oral & Craniosacral Therapy in TMJ Massage
The jaw works closely with the neck and shoulders, and our massage therapists ensure that these areas are addressed fully to provide you with the maximum amount of relief from your symptoms. Intra-oral massage and is a powerful way to get at some of the smaller muscles that play a critical role in bite alignment and chewing. Additionally, some massage therapists can use craniosacral techniques, which can effectively address the deeper causes of muscular tension in this region. All intra-oral massage and craniosacral therapy are done with hygienic plastic gloves.
Managing Pain Caused by TMJ at Home
A TMJ massage at Colorado Body Wisdom includes an educational component to empower you to begin to manage your chronic TMJ conditions on your own. Your massage therapist will teach you self-massage techniques, stretches and other strategies to add to your repertoire of at-home care practices. With this increased knowledge, you will have new skills to give yourself the gift of ongoing relief. In our modern world, stress is rampant and so is the proliferation of jaw-related disorders and syndromes.
Treating trigger points and tension in your jaw early through massage therapy is a great way to prevent the development of further problems. It is also a great way to understand how to diminish the effects of stress on your health.
Who We Are
Colorado Body Wisdom is a healing arts and massage studio located in Boulder, Colorado. We are committed to providing the highest quality treatments delivered with compassion by only the most skilled therapists in the field. Our mission is to spread health and relieve suffering through the compassionate, skillful, and joyful practice of massage therapy, healing arts, and wellness education.
We strive to assist clients in living satisfied and authentic lives by: delivering the highest quality massage and therapeutic treatments; receiving clients with deep compassion while creating a safe space for emotional release and personal discovery; and orienting our treatments towards each client’s innate health–not their illness or pain.
At Colorado Body Wisdom, the well-being of our therapists is just as important as that of our clients. CBW owner, Rachel Scott, founded the company with the intention of creating a mutually supportive, inclusive, and harassment-free work environment for women in the healing arts. CBW is committed to providing a safe space for female practitioners to develop their skills and build a career in a profession they love.
We invite you to come in and experience the multitude of benefits of massage therapy for yourself!
