Migraines And Your Jaw

This month is about migraines and more specifically how the muscles of your jaw can have a huge impact on them. Migraines are an interesting beast. Finding the root cause should always be the first step, should it be stress, diet, cortisol, systemic inflammation or biomechanics. It is often a combination of all of these factors.

From a purely biomechanical stand point the muscles of the neck, jaw and those that control the eyes are the first that warrant close attention. Especially if you have a history of cranial traumas, whiplash incidents or poor motor control (movement functions).

When you’re next at the gym or observing an individual perform a task or movement they’re uncomfortable with (opening a ‘stiff’ jar for example), watch their face. Do they bite down on their jaw? Or grimace? The reason for this is the part of the brain that controls movement coordination derives from the same part of the brain that controls the jaw. Simply when the body struggles to perform a motion it moves to the jaw for stabilisation. In activities needing maximum effort this isn’t too much of a negative, but when someone is using their jaw to stabilise basic movement patterns in everyday life it is easy to see how the jaw can become overburdened and how the muscular tissue surrounding the jaw and skull can become ‘tight’ and painful.

As I mentioned at the start of the newsletter many things can be to blame for migraines. If you suffer with tight facial muscles, tension surrounding your temple, your jaw ‘clicks’, have you noticed you’re restricted in movement when opening your mouth or that you have developed an over / under bite? Balancing the muscular tissues and ligaments surrounding your jaw may well go a long way to resolving the problem.

The following video link is a great one for working on the muscles of your mandible (the lower part of the jaw) using a toothbrush! Whilst a bit wordy the content is fantastic and Dr Kathy Dooley is one of the best anatomists in the business, someone I am privileged to have had the opportunity to learn from on many occasions – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYW4Fxuwe5c&t=15s.

If Migraines are holding you back and impacting your daily life then please do give me a call.

Best wishes,
Ben

Call – 07745 039 485

Email – Ben@BenFedrickInjuryTherapy.co.uk