98 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 1 7
THE JAW/CERVICAL TECHNIQUE
Along with other awareness-building
techniques for the jaw and neck (see "Gentle
Techniques for the Jaw and TMJ," Massage
& Bodywork, January/February 2017) in
our Advanced Myofascial Techniques
trainings at Advanced-Trainings.com, we
use the Jaw/Cervical Technique as a way for
clients with neck or jaw issues to practice
new movement options. This technique
uses gentle pressure to increase awareness
of the muscles and deepest structures of
Watch Til Luchau's technique videos and read his past
articles in Massage & Bodywork's digital edition, available at
www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com, www.abmp.com,
and on Advanced-Trainings.com's Facebook page.
"Jaw/Cervical
Technique"
Notes
1. Todd Hargrove, Better Movement, "The Skill of
Relaxation," September 23, 2008, accessed March
2017, www.bettermovement.org/blog/2008/
the-skill-of-relaxation. www.bettermovement.
org/blog/2008/the-skill-of-relaxation.
2. P. O. Eriksson, H. Zafar, E. Nordh, "Concomitant
Mandibular and Head-Neck Movements During
Jaw Opening-Closing in Man," Journal of Oral
Rehabilitation 25, no. 11 (November 1998): 859–70.
3. J. Chew (Producer), "Cervicogenic Headache with
Toby Hall," audio podcast, October 2, 2016, http://
chewshealth.co.uk/tpmpsession34/; M. J. Ellis, J. J.
Leddy, and B. Willer, "Physiological, Vestibulo-Ocular
and Cervicogenic Post-Concussion Disorders: An
Evidence-Based Classification System with Directions
for Treatment," Brain Injury 29, no. 2 (2015): 238–48;
D. M. Biondi, "Cervicogenic Headache: A Review of
Diagnostic and Treatment Strategies," The Journal of
the American Osteopathic Association 105 (April 2005):
16S–22S.
4. Prin Chitsantikul and Werner J. Becker, "Treatment
of Cervicogenic Headache: New Insights on the
Treatment of Pain in the Neck," Canadian Journal of
Neurological Sciences 42, no. 6 (2015): 357–359;
Simon Akerman, Bruce Simon, Marcela Romero-
Reyes, "Vagus Nerve Stimulation Suppresses Acute
Noxious Activation of Trigeminocervical Neurons in
Animal Models of Primary Headache," Neurobiology
of Disease 102 (2017): 96–104; José G. Speciali and
Fabíolam Dach, "Temporomandibular Dysfunction
and Headache Disorder," Headache: The Journal
of Head and Face Pain 55, no. 1 (2015): 72–83.
5. TMJ Association, "TMJ Science Overview," January 7,
2016, accessed March 2017, www.tmj.org/Page/51/32.
Til Luchau is a Certified Advanced Rolfer,
the author of Advanced Myofascial Techniques
(Handspring Publishing, 2016) and a member
of the Advanced-Trainings.com faculty, which
offers distance learning and in-person seminars
throughout the United States and abroad. He
welcomes questions or comments via
info@advanced-trainings.com and Advanced-
Trainings.com's Facebook page.
The ligaments and facet joint
capsules (violet) of the posterior
neck can also be gently palpated
during active jaw depression,
helping clients feel any movement
at the deepest and most subtle
levels. Image courtesy Primal
Pictures, used by permission.
2
the posterior neck (Image 2). And, since
neck tension, jaw tension, and the above-
mentioned trigeminocervical nucleus are
each implicated in cervicogenic (neck-
related) headaches, migraine headaches,
and temporomandibular joint disorders,
4
this technique can be a useful and relevant
self-care tool for clients dealing with any
of these common complaints, or for each of
us whose necks or jaws are sometimes more
tense than needed. Why not take another
second right now to let your own jaw gently
fall open once more, as the back of your
neck remains long, easy, and relaxed.
