Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1078860
While it can be tempting to dig into the masseter and try to blast those painful points to pieces, I fi nd that approach can just lead to more tightness and sensitivity. Instead, we're trying to gradually convince the client's nervous system that so much tension and sensitivity isn't necessary. This can take a number of sessions, so set expectations accordingly. WHERE TO GO NEXT Once you've seen how prevalent jaw pain is, and how effective a little work there can be, there are a lot of useful directions to explore. Start by getting more specifi c with the muscles of the anterior and lateral neck. The sternocleidomastoid and scalenes, for instance, can have an interesting relationship with pain in the area, and are worth investigating. From there, think broadly about muscles that affect the neck, shoulders, and posture. Look for tight trapezius and pectoral muscles, and even the rotator cuff. The more I try to pick apart "where pain comes from," the more I realize how interrelated it all is. There are some other muscles, like the pterygoids, that can only be accessed intraorally. That can be worthwhile (and it's a useful skill to learn via continuing education), but I get excellent results from the noninvasive technique above. I fi nd that working broadly can have deep effects, all without having to get too specifi c. Ian Harvey specializes in myofascial-inspired techniques that are kind to client and therapist. He produces free massage tutorials on YouTube under the name Massage Sloth, and his blog can be found at www.massagesloth.com. THE HOW For this technique, start by envisioning the course of the masseter muscle. This thick, two-headed sheet of muscle runs from the zygomatic arch (the cheek bone) down to the angle of the mandible. Now, think of the temporalis: starting with a wide, fanlike origin along the side of the cranium, it dips down through the zygomatic arch to latch onto the coronoid process of the mandible. Got those in mind? OK ... now mostly forget about them. The point here isn't to go from origin to insertion, or to work with attachment sites, or anything like that. Instead, we're going to work with the broad sheets of fascia these muscles are embedded in. Start by sitting at the head of the table with your client supine. Use clean hands to avoid introducing more oil (and to prevent breakouts!), and go through this sequence: 1. Place your fi ngertips along both sides of the bottom of the jaw, applying minimal pressure. 2. Draw your hands up toward the top of the client's head, dragging the tissue superiorly. 3. Wait patiently, allowing your contact to slowly make the journey up the face and into the scalp. This should take 1–3 minutes. 4. (Optional) Repeat, this time with the client slowly opening and closing their jaw. Ask them to use a small, pain-free range of motion. What we're doing here is taking the tissue along the sides of the face and displacing it upward, then waiting for movement to happen. If you use no oil or lotion (which I recommend), this can take a while! No need to press hard or force anything; think of it as slowly ironing out the fascia. Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 97 Watch Ian's video by scanning the QR code or go to this page in the digital edition to view it.