Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/149404
4 Watch Til Luchau's technique videos and read his past Myofascial Techniques articles in Massage & Bodywork's digital edition. The link is available at www.massageandbodywork.com, at www.abmp.com, and on Advanced-Trainings.com's Facebook page. Besides being anatomically constructed for strength, the masseter has some of the highest resting tone in the body. This is related to two facts: 1. W hen we are upright, the jaw is held closed mostly by muscular function (i.e., tension) in the masseters, along with the temporalis and medial pterygoids. Since we are usually upright when we are awake, the jaw muscles are working a very high percentage of the time, resting only when we sleep or allow our mouths to open (Image 2). 2. Neurologically, this high level of resting tone also keeps the masseters on near-constant alert. The low level of tension in the masseter continuously stimulates the muscle spindles within the belly of the masseter, reinforcing a constant, low-level stretch reflex, like the one tested when the patellar tendon is tapped with a reflex hammer. And like a patellar ligament tap, this reflex loop makes the masseter reactive and fast acting, helping it adapt and adjust quickly during the motions of biting, chewing, and talking—and in its role as a stabilizer of the anterior neck (Image 3). Of course, a tense and reactive masseter has drawbacks. Tension here is a contributor to TMJ pain, headaches, sleep disturbances, bruxism (teeth grinding), and other conditions. And the masseter itself is often a primary source of pain. Several studies conclude that the masseter ranks as either the most common, or the second most common, of all the places where painful myofascial trigger points appear.1 Does a coffee buzz make you grit your teeth? In vitro experiments have shown that masseter muscle cells are chemically more sensitive to caffeine than other muscles in the body, due to their low reactivity threshold.2 Caffeine intake (as well as alcohol, nicotine, surgical anesthetics, and other drugs) has been observed to increase masseter tonus and/or worsen TMJ symptoms. So far, we've listed anatomical, functional, neurological, and chemical causes of masseter tension. As if those aren't enough, there are also clear body-mind dimensions of jaw tightness as well. Although the clichéd formula of "jaw tension = anger" is sometimes derided as an oversimplification of the nuanced and highly individualized ways that emotions are reflected in the body, even mainstream medical literature commonly cites stress, anxiety, and anger as significant contributors to bruxism, jaw tension, and TMJ problems. For example, the Mayo Clinic lists "anxiety, stress, tension, anger, frustration, and an aggressive or competitive personality type" among the causes of bruxism.3 ABMPtv.com "Working with the Masseter" 4 5 6 In the Masseter Technique (Intraoral), the masseter is worked between the forefinger of the gloved hand and the fingertips of the outside hand. Active client movements include jaw clenching and releasing. Images 4 and 6 courtesy Advanced-Trainings.com. Image 5 courtesy Primal Pictures. Used by permission. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 115