Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68178
MYOFASCIAL TECHNIQUES attachments) signal the digastrics' alpha motor neurons via the spinal cord to lower the muscles' firing rate. This results in a reduction in tone and finer movement coordination.1 INDICATIONS You'll want to release and balance the digastrics whenever addressing TMJ and jaw issues, especially when you see jaw retraction, misalignment, or your client reports pain around the posterior TMJ. There can be additional causes of chronic mandibular retraction and posterior TMJ pain, such as a head-forward posture, tongue and throat constriction, superficial fascial restrictions, and postural influences from the rest of the body. Still, you'll find that working with the digastrics is an essential technique to have in your TMJ toolkit. is a lead instructor at Advanced-Trainings.com Inc., which offers continuing education DVDs and seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and a Rolf Institute faculty member. Til Luchau (info@advanced-trainings.com) Image 5. Glands, nerves, lymph nodes, vessels, and other delicate structures surround the posterior digastric bellies (in green), so we work them via their more available posterior attachment on the mastoid process. Image courtesy of Primal Pictures. Used with permission. NOTE 1. Robert Schleip, "Fascial Plasticity—A New Neurobiological Explanation, Part I." Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 7, no. 1 (2003): 14. Image 6. The digastrics from below (in green). Their bilateral arrangement means they play an important role in jaw alignment and balanced motion. Image courtesy of Primal Pictures. Used with permission. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 125