Acupressure and Massage for TMJ Headache Relief

According to Heathline, “TMJ Headaches happen when the muscles in your jaw tense up — like when you grind your teeth — the pain can spread to other TMJ muscles alongside your cheeks and on the sides and top of your head, causing a headache.”

These headaches and associated pains are referred to as temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

Clicking in the jaw is not a cause but rather a symptom of TMJ headaches but given what the TMJ does one might think so. Another common cause is  a traumatic injury. Additional common causes can include recent dental work, things like food sensitivity, and believe it or not COVID-19.

The pandemic and its associated symptoms didn’t directly cause it. There was however a rise in TMD related issues due to the stresses created by the pandemic, such as:

• Increased isolation at home
• Using computers more frequently for work and pleasure
• Incorrect or poor posture as a result if sitting at a desk or in front of a screen

As important as it is to discuss why TMJ headaches happen, more important is the ways in which we can offer treatment options and remedies.

While surgical treatments are more extreme, Remedies include simple adjustments to some of the symptoms mentioned above, including jaw clicking and things like teeth grinding. Medication helps as well with things like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen all being used to treat TMD-related disorders.