Going Down The Masseter Spiral

Unconscious downward spirals are the stuff of life. Kind of in the same way that pain teaches us how to appreciate the absence of pain, downward spirals shine a light on what we weren’t already aware of. They wind up being the answers behind such mysteries as “When did my wrist start bothering me?” and “What is this knot in my back doing there?” Or, for the purpose of this article, “Why do I get headaches so often?”

Unravelling a downward spiral isn’t always clear. There are many reasons frequent headaches exist. One of them, though, is the existence of the only moving joint in the skull. The temporomandibular joint. More familiarly known as the jaw. There are a lot of muscles that move the jaw allowing us to take food in, grind it down, and then eventually swallow it. The two biggest players being the temporalis and the masseter. The former is a flat, fan-like muscle that decorates the side of the skull, drops down behind the cheek bone and hooks onto the back of the jaw. But the latter, the masseter, is the power house I want to bring to center stage.

Known as the strongest muscle in the body, pound for pound, the masseter is the main player in biting, chewing, teeth grinding, jaw clenching, and the frequently practiced behavior of pulling trucks. It wears this particular “strong man” crown for three reasons - 1. its fibers are densely packed into that small space. 2. it is considered a short arm lever - which means that it creates a lot of pull onto the lower jaw. And 3. It is essentially the most exercised muscle in the body. I mean, even for those who don’t talk or eat a lot - or both - it still gets used every single day, in repetition, with resistance. Most of us can’t say that about the rest of our muscles.

This force de mastication sits in the back of the cheek, lifts the jaw up from the floor - also known as elevation of the mandible - and pushes the jaw forward - also known as projection of the mandible. You can see how these two actions would be advantageous for the whole chewing thing.

You may also note, though, that your jaw can swing from side to side. And a slight deviation away from alignment can beget a downward spiral of dysfunctional chewing. It can, indeed, trigger a chain of events that shares a very close relationship with pain. Thankfully our muscles are malleable and our neuroplasticity is neuro-plastic. We don’t have to surgically take everything apart and start all over.

Instead, we have massage therapy.

Try this - either on yourself or with a client - Start by using both hands and placing them on either side of your head so that your palms are just above and in front of your ears and your fingers are resting softly on the top of your head. With the base of your palm, start to compress in - like you are squeezing your temples, and slide down the sides of your face util your can feel your cheek bones. Allow gravity to pull at your jaw. Don’t force your mouth open, just let your jaw be heavy. And then slide both palms down the sides of your face at the same time.

Your jaw should naturally fall more open as your work down your masseters. You are creating a myofascial unwinding here which, especially considering that thick aponeurotic attachment, is super important if you want to be able to sink in a little deeper. Repeat this a couple of times. Make sure you are not using any creams or lotions (or even butters) and you will start to feel the warmth of the tissues under the skin.

Once you feel like your jaw is nice and loose, you can start to sink in a little deeper. Keep your attention to one side at a time here. Addressing tension bilaterally can be like too many phones ringing at the same time: much easier to disconnect than it is to answer them all. Use one hand as a support, keeping it flat and soft on one side of your face. And use your fingers of your opposite hand to palpate your cheek bone. Slide down into the beginnings of the masseter, about an inch down from the cheek bone and about 2 inches from your ear towards your nose.

Now you sink in. And this may be enough. Referred pain from here may extend behind the ear, into the jaw or up into the head. Hang out with a strong but comforting pressure until that feeling fades. Then, if you feel good about it, sink in a little deeper.

Or, if you are feeling adventurous, keep the pressure on while you begin to slowly open your jaw. You may even want to slide that pressure down as your jaw opens. But you hold the keys to this one so decide what feels reparative and go with that. Because going with something that feels damaging is not the goal here. Repeat this until your masseter starts to feel less like steel and more like bread dough. And then switch over to the other side.

Now that your jaw is completely loosened, you can take it off and reset it. Just kidding. You should feel a little looser in the face though. And that headache? If you still get them, at least you have explored one downward spiral and you can check it off the list. Now, maybe we should take a look at your Sternocleidomastoid.

If you like what you read and want to read more content like this, head over to Associated Bodywork & Massage Professional's website to read their latest issues of Massage & Bodywork magazine.