The jaw (or ‘temporomandibular joint’) is comprised of 2 joints that each sit just in front of the ears. The articulation happens between the temporal bone (of the skull) and the mandible (the part that moves around when you talk / chew / yawn etc). 

TRY:

Place your fingers lightly in front of the opening of the ears, and slowly open and close your jaw. You should feel some movement under your fingers - you might even feel (or hear!) some clicking popping or snapping - this is the condyles of the jaw moving in and out of their sockets.

The muscles which allow the jaw to move around are known as the ‘muscles of mastication’ (ie muscles of chewing). As you can imagine, these muscles are constantly in use.

TRY:

Place your fingers lightly in front of the opening of the ears, and move them down slightly (1-2cm). Clench your jaw like you see the Hollywood movie stars do when they are trying to look tough - you should feel a bulge under your fingers. This is your masseter muscle - one of the primary movers of the jaw.

Then move your fingers over your temples and perform the same clenching action. Again, you should feel a bulge under your fingers - this is your temporalis muscle. Another prime mover of the jaw.

The jaw becomes clinically significant for manual therapists not only when people complain directly about jaw pain but also when people present with neck pain and headaches. Because of its intimate mechanical and neurological relationship with the upper segments of neck, the jaw MUST be considered with any headache, neck and upper back presentation (we can certainly more distant links, but we will keep it simple for the purposes of today).

TRY:

1. Open your jaw as wide as possible and take note of the slight extension that occurs at the neck

2. Carefully extend your head back as far as possible and notice how difficult it is to keep your jaw tightly closed

*These 2 exercises demonstrate the close mechanical relationship between the neck and the jaw

Putting it simply, when the jaw moves, there are 2 joints at play - the left and right. It is quite possible that either of these joints becomes dysfunctional which can then result in a clicking, popping, snapping or locking sensation. Over the surface of each condyle there is an articular disk present. This disk helps to protect the surface of the joint to keep it intact. For whatever reason, this disk can start to move out of time with the condyles of the jaw which may then cause those unusual sensations to begin.

Jaw dysfunction and/or pain is very common, and very treatable by Osteopaths. If you have any questions as to how Osteopathy can help you please don’t hesitate to contact the clinic OR you can book your appointment online by clicking the ‘Book Online’ button below.