TMJ & Forward Head Posture

     Hey guys!  The month of May has been a fabulous, crazy, fast month for me, hence my lack of posts the previous couple of weeks.  I want to thank everyone who helped with the grand opening party and came out to support us.  You are all amazing, and I am so grateful to have you in my life!  For future reference, if I ever take off and leave you guys without prompts, you can always visit my Pinterest for stretches, exercises, health tips, etc.
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     This week I'm going to cover a bit about the TMJ (temporomandibular joint), TMD (temporomandibular disorders), and what role forward head posture has in the mix.

Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ/TMD) are the symptoms of tension or injury to the chewing muscles and joints connecting your jaw (mandible) to your skull.

Here you can see the superficial muscles (the masseter and temporalis), a cut away to view the deep muscles (the pterygoids), and where the muscles insert on the mandible (jaw bone).

(You can view a larger version of this picture here!)

Elevation of the Mandible                                                     Muscles Responsible
 Masseter, Temporalis, Medial Pterygoid
Retraction of the Mandible
Temporalis
Protraction of the Mandible
Medial & Lateral Pterygoid
Lateral Deviation of the Mandible
Medial & Lateral Pterygoid

And here is how forward head posture can pull your entire spine out of alignment:

Watch this video- It's a great link on how to work with TMJ pain with Erik Dalton.  He explains a few different muscles I haven't covered yet, but goes into greater detail with forward head posture and TMJ/neck pain.

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To put it simply, when your head moves forward from slumping over your desk all day, the muscles attaching to your jaw become shortened, retracting your jaw (see the yellow circle above.)  Clenching/grinding your teeth tightens these muscles as well.  Your jaw gets pulled into this area, creating tension and pain due to limited range of motion in your temporomandibular joint.  You can perform self massage in or outside of your mouth to release some of these muscles, as well as along your temples and behind your ears.

Here are some TMJ trigger points and pain patterns.  You can apply pressure to the black X areas while gently, slowly opening and closing your mouth.  Repeat 10 times.

Masseter:                                                            Temporalis:

You can also use a wine cork to relax your jaw by placing it between your teeth.  Relax and hold for 20 seconds. Repeat 3 to 5 times.

To relieve forward head posture, you can turn your head to the left and feel your right SCM pop up.  Gently pinch it between your pointer and thumb on these black X areas and slowly tilt your head back as far as you are comfortable with.  Hold each for 10 seconds and release.

SCM:

You can also place the tips of your fingers on the insertions (at the inside edge of your collarbones) and gently tilt your head backwards to stretch these guys!

And I'll leave you with this.  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Shoulder Pain

     With all the advances in technology, we, as a society, spend a lot of our time on computers, smart phones, and tablets.  That's all fine, until our bodies start protesting. The human body needs movement.  It seems simple enough, but unfortunately, most jobs these days lend themselves to eye strain, poor posture, and long hours of sitting, which leads to stagnation throughout muscle fibers and the fascial, circulatory, and digestive systems.

I gave you guys a couple of low back/hip flexor stretches in my previous post: Fascia & Myofascial Release, so today, I'm going to address shoulder pain.

Most people's area of complaints involve these muscles:

And here are some great ways to stretch them all out!

This stretch helps re-align the cervical spine, improves breathing, and aids in good posture.  You can do it five or six times a day, and people that carry bags over one shoulder or work at a computer all day should do this stretch daily.

- Place your right hand on the left side of your head.

- Tilt your head to the right.

- Gently push down with your right hand until you feel a maximum stretch.

- Slowly rotate your head to look up at the ceiling.

- Hold for five deep breaths.

- Repeat on opposite side.

This stretch is a great chest/shoulder opener.  It reduces shoulder and neck pain by stretching the short, tight anterior muscles of the shoulder, and giving the tired, overextended posterior muscles a break.

Wall pectoral stretch:

- Place your hand and forearm flat on the wall at a 90 degree angle.

- Turn your entire torso away from your arm to stretch your shoulder joint/chest.

- Hold for two counts. Repeat 10 times.

- Switch sides.

Doorway pectoral stretch:

(You can either do both shoulders at the same time, but I personally feel like I get a deeper stretch doing one at a time.  REMEMBER! If you do one at a time, turn your ENTIRE torso away from your arm.)

- Place one foot forward and your forearms flat on the door frame.

- Let your weight shift to the forward foot to stretch across your chest.

- The higher your place your arms on the doorway, the deeper the stretch.

Time to stretch those triceps! (And also, a little bit of your teres major/minor, latissimus dorsi, and posterior deltoid fibers.)  So many of my clients suffer from tight posterior upper arms, and this is a great way to open up the back of your shoulder joint.

Please note: If you can't reach your hands together, don't fret!  A LOT of people can't, and honestly, I think you save yourself shoulder strain AND you can get a better stretch by using a towel, belt, or scarf.

- Holding your towel in your right hand, raise your right arm straight up.

- Bend the arm at the elbow, resting your hand in between your scapulas.

- Reach behind your back with your left arm until you have hold of your towel.

- Gently pull down with your left arm until you feel a stretch through your tricep/outside of your shoulder area.

- Hold for 20 seconds, working up to five deep breaths.

- Switch sides. Repeat.

And there are also these!

Happy Stretching!