Are you one of the millions of people that suffer from jaw pain or TMJ? How about neck pain, head pain, headaches, or migraines?
These can be debilitating and confusing conditions, but they don’t need to be.
My name is Tom Spiros. I am a licensed massage therapist, author, and self- therapy coach. I teach clients how to treat their own pain symptoms by using techniques only a massage therapist would know. There is a pattern to pain and when you know the secrets of referred pain, trigger points, and massage therapy, the power is in your hands.
In this video I’m going to show you easy, powerful self-therapy techniques to find relief for TMJ, head pain, neck pain, headaches, migraines and more,
My book, How to Heal Your Body, gets into detail on how to treat these painful symptoms. The book also covers many other pain symptoms including shoulder pain, chest pain, upper back pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, and much more. We use an easy to use spiky massage ball as a self-therapy tool. Both are available at TomSpiros.com. I’m also available for online coaching.
Massage should always be practiced first to eliminate tight muscles or trigger points. You can further injure your body if you attempt to stretch or strengthen a problematic muscle. After you have practiced massage, then you can follow up with stretching or an exercise routine.
When practicing self-therapy, we use a spiky massage ball along with our body weight to apply pressure. The spiky nodules are perfect to provide the kneading necessary for deep tissue massage. You may feel slight pain when pressing on a trigger point, that is ok. Trigger points hurt when pressed, but massage is the only way to treat them. When we locate a tight muscle apply pressure for 30 seconds or so then move along. On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is no pressure and 10 is too much, keep the pressure around 7 for healing to occur.
We always wear a few layers of clothes a hat and a hoodie to protect your skin. Pressure marks may appear from the deep pressure but, they will fade away shortly.
The muscles that contribute to TMJ, neck, and head pain are normally five muscle groups. The trapezius, levator scapulae, sternocleidomastoid, masseter, and the temporalis
The trapezius is a four-cornered muscle that covers most of the upper back and helps move the shoulder and support the weight of the head. Having poor posture, slouching over your computer, doing activities that keep your shoulders raised or arms extended will put stress on this muscle. Symptoms of trigger points can create labels like bursitis of the shoulder, disk compression, headaches, and migraines. This muscle can also send pain called referred pain to the jaw, temples, and side of the neck.
We can begin the self-massage on the top portion of the trapezius by lying faceup on the yoga mat with the spiky massage ball behind our head. Allow the weight of your head to sink into the spiky massage ball and feel around for tightness where the muscle attaches. Massage behind the head for a minute or two, then begin to slowly move your body or adjust the ball to treat further down along the neck for a couple of minutes.
The area on top of the shoulder can be massaged best by placing the ball just above the shoulder blade. Use your paired fingers to press the top portion of the trapezius against the ball, feeling for tight and painful knots along the band of muscle that runs along the top of the shoulder. Press into any knots for 30 seconds or so, then move along.
The other areas below can be massaged by rolling the spiky massage ball over and in between the shoulder blades and down the middle of the back. Massage around the whole upper back area all the way up to the spine without crossing over or putting pressure on the spine itself. Feel around for tender areas of tight muscles for several minutes or more. Press into any tight muscles or trigger points for 30 seconds or so then move on. Use your body weight to aim for a level of 7 on a scale of 1-10, where number 1 is no pressure, and 10 is too painful. Practice once or twice a day for several days or make it a regular practice until the trigger points are gone, and the pain has left. We do one side, then the other.
The levator scapulae are under the trapezius and goes from the upper cervical spine to the inner part of the shoulder blade. The muscle helps lift the shoulder blade and turn your head to the side. Holding the phone between your head and shoulder will create problems, heavy backpacks or purses will make you contract the muscle to counter the downward pull. Tight muscles here can keep your shoulders hiked up and limit your movement and create pain when you turn your head.
You can massage this muscle by turning your body to the side so you can access the back edge of the neck going from behind the ear down to the shoulder blade feeling for any painful areas along the spine. Relax your head and neck feeling for any tight points and press and hold for 30 seconds, then move along the muscle. Aim for a pressure of 7 on a scale of 1-10 for healing to occur. Practice this massage once or twice a day for a couple of minutes. Do this for several days or longer until the pain and tightness are gone. Always do both sides.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle or SCM is located behind the ear and runs along the side of the neck down to the clavicle. The muscle helps to turn the head and keep it stable. If you have poor posture, do heavy lifting, or had a fall or whiplash, odds are you have trigger points here. Tight muscles here will create headaches, ear pain, balance problems, jaw pain, and eventually misalignment of the temporomandibular joints in the jaw. It can even create a neck stiffness labeled torticollis that keeps your head tilted to one side. You can relieve these symptoms in the simplest way.
Take all of the soft tissue between your fingers and thumb and knead with the opposite hand. It feels like a muscular rope in between your fingers. Relax as you squeeze from the top to the bottom and back up several times. Feel around for any tight or painful areas then squeeze for 30 seconds, then move along. A single session is a minute or two and can be done several times a day until it no longer hurts. Keep the pressure at 7 on a scale of 1-10. Do one side, then the other.
The masseters are the muscles of the jaw that create force while chewing. Poor posture, chewing gum, grinding your teeth, or dental work can strain the muscles. Pain here can cause sensitive teeth, restrict jaw opening, cause pain around the face, and eventually TMJ. I recommend you wear a mouth guard during the day or night until this problem is corrected.
Lying face down with your head turned to one side, allow the weight of your head and the masseter muscle to sink into the spiky massage ball. Feel around the whole area of the jaw. Massage around the area near the ear and back of the jaw feeling for tight points. Keep the pressure around a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Practice this massage once or twice a day for several days or more until the pain is gone. Do one side, then the other.
The temporalis muscle is a large flat muscle covering the temple above and in front of the ear and assists the masseter in chewing. Trigger points can create headaches, tooth pain, and jaw pain.
With your head turned to one side allow the spiky massage ball to sink into the temporalis muscles. Relax your head and neck, allowing the ball to massage into the muscle for a minute or two. Keep the pressure at a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Do this massage once or twice a day for several days until the pain is gone. Do one side then the other.
These techniques can be practiced from my book, How to Heal Your Body. The book is a total body approach and covers all symptoms of pain from head to toe. The book and the self-therapy tool are available at TomSpiros.com. I am offering both for free when you schedule a coaching session. Our session may give you the personal attention you need to meet your health and wellness goals.