This 1 Unexpected Exercise Could Be A Game Changer If You Have Jaw Pain

If you deal with TMJ-related issues, then you know how unpleasant the symptoms can be: jaw pain, neck pain, headaches, earaches, toothaches or trouble opening or closing your mouth, all of which can put a damper on your everyday life. But there’s one unexpected exercise that could provide the relief you’ve been looking for.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your lower jawbone to the skull. You have one on each side of your face, just in front of the ears. You may have heard people who have problems with this joint and the surrounding muscles say they “have TMJ.” But the clinical term would be TMD, or a temporomandibular disorder, though some medical professionals may also refer to it as TMJ dysfunction or a TMJ disorder.

I have been on my own journey of figuring out how to manage TMD-related discomfort. I have a custom mouthguard that I wear at night because I clench my teeth while I sleep, which was making my daytime pain worse. I went to physical therapy to learn stretches for the jaw, neck and shoulders, as well as exercises to improve my posture. I have tried to reduce my stress via daily movement and spending more time outside. These things moved the needle, but the real game changer for me was an exercise I stumbled upon on YouTube.

The video by Dr. Priya Mistry, a dentist in Vancouver, Washington, who specializes in TMJ disorders, shows how to release a small jaw muscle I had never heard of before: the lateral pterygoid.

The lateral pterygoid is a fan-shaped muscle with two heads. It lowers the jaw, moves it side to side and is involved in chewing, speaking and clenching.

For many, the lateral pterygoid “can be at the crux of their TMJ problems,” Mistry told HuffPost. When it’s dysfunctional, it can