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Postural Distortions & Massage 
Part 3 of my new series!
In this series, I will attempt to describe some of the common problems that could be helped through massage therapy. If you are afflicted with any of these, massage could be used on it's own or along with your doctor's administrations. Just be aware that some of these problems may take some time to achieve results.
TMJ (Temporomandibular Disorder):
Pain located at the joint of the jaw should be treated by both your dentist and your massage therapist. There are many factors that may contribute to this condition. The only piece that I will address deals with chronic improper head and body posture that leads to muscular compensation and misalignment of the joint which causes the pain.
- Many of us work in seated positions, looking at a computer screen. This changes the way our bodies function, especially if our desks are not set in the correct ergonomic position that is personal for each one of us.
- I'm not going to go into all the individual muscles and how they behave when overcompensating for postural distortion. Basically the neck and facial muscles will constantly work to keep the eyes level on a horizontal plane and once they are in a chronic shortened position they start to pull on the jaw in ways that put stress on the discs that allow for smooth movement in that joint. Just as arthritis starts wearing away at bone smoothness, these discs start losing their functionality and pain results. Lengthening of the muscles surrounding the jaw can greatly relieve some of this pressure.
- There are also trigger points that can occur in nearby muscles that may refer to the jaw and feel like the pain is coming from that location. Therefore the muscles of the neck - particularly the SCM and tapezius muscles - need to be palpated for trigger points and worked to eliminate them.
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