Explains typical masseter trigger-point referral patterns and teaches a simple stick-bite test to determine whether jaw/tooth/ear pain is coming from the chewing muscles or the jaw joint itself.
Do you feel pain in your cheeks or in your teeth even though you've been told that the structure everything looks normal? Does your jaw feel stiff during the morning? Or do you sometimes feel the pressure in your ears? Or maybe a faint buzzing sound?
And maybe you're wondering where does this is actually coming from? Most people immediately think that the problem must be the jaw joint. But often the real cause is somewhere else. There is one powerful muscle in your cheeks called the masseter, the main chewing muscle.
This muscle does the most of the work whenever you put your teeth together. And when it comes overloaded it doesn't just cause pain locally. It can refer pain to the teeth, to the temple area or the area front of the ear. And sometimes even cause headaches.
In this video, we'll go through three things. First, I am going to show you what typical masseter muscle pain feels like and where you feel the symptoms. Second, I am going to teach you simple test that helps determine whether the problem is coming from the muscles or the jaw joint. And third, I am going to give you a clear plan what to do next.
Because once you understand what most likely is causing your symptoms, then the guessing stops. And when the guessing stops, the treatment becomes much clearer. What is the masseter muscle and why it can cause these strange symptoms? The masseter is actually one of the strongest muscles in the human body relative to its size.
So why can the symptoms of it cause feel so strange? And where exactly those symptoms can appear? Pain can show up in the sinus area, around the ear or in temple area or even in the upper or lower teeth. Yes, this muscle can make your teeth feel sore even when everything in the teeth themselves are structurally normal.
Here you can see image showing the typical trigger point referral pattern of the masseter muscle. So how do you interpret this image? The more marks you see in certain area, the more people have reported feelings of the symptoms in there. And those crosses you see in the image show the points where the muscle itself was pressed.
So when you apply the pressure to the upper, middle or lower part of the superficial masseter the symptoms typically refers to these areas. When pressure is applied to the deeper part of the masseter, which lies underneath, the symptoms often radiate towards the ear. And as you can see in the image, the lower right corner. Now if your underlying problem is ischemic muscle pain, meaning that the muscle is simply been working too hard, certain pattern often appear.
Opening of the jaw during the morning may feel stiff. When eating tougher foods, the muscle may get fatigue very quickly. And the symptoms often worsen after the eating or after a night of sleep. Why the symptoms sometimes can appear in the ear area?
Let's look at the anatomy of that part. Here we have the base of the jaw joint and where the upper part of the jaw bone sits inside its socket. Very close to this area there is also a small opening that leads into the skull. And through that opening travels part of the pathways related to our hearing.
So these structures sit very close to each other. Between the jaw bone and the base of the joint there is an intervertebral disc. And from that disc runs a ligament that connects towards the ear canal. So if there is a tension or irritation in the jaw joint, that ligament can be also transmitting pulling sensations towards the ear.
If you want to feel this relationship yourself, try this simple experiment. Place the tip of your little fingers gently into your ear canals. Bend your little fingers lightly so the tip points towards your nose towards the midline. Now slowly move your jaw.
You'll probably feel the movement of the jaw joint inside the ear area. So how to test whether the symptoms come from the muscle or the joint? For this test you will go to need wooden ice cream sticks or medical spatulas. These are the same sticks what doctors use when they are examining the throat.
Break the stick carefully so there is no sharp edges left. Then stack two or three pieces together. This creates small bundle that is several millimeters thick. And now let's imagine that the pain is on the right side.
Place the bundle between your upper and lower teeth on the right side. Because the teeth no longer fully touch, this slightly increases the space inside the jaw joint on that side. And now gently bite down. In this situation the muscles are doing the most of the work.
And if this makes your symptoms on the right side, worse the problem is most likely muscle related. Now let's test for the joint problem. So if the pain is still at the right side, place the stick bundle to the opposite side to left side. Now when you bite down, the teeth of the left side remain separated because of those sticks.
That means the pressure increases much more on the right jaw joint. Now bite your teeth together. If this reproduces your familiar pain, it's suggested the problem is coming from the joint itself. What should you do next if your jaw has these symptoms?
If the symptom seems to come from the muscle, self-care is usually appropriate. Doing the exercise once per day is enough as long as it targets the right structures. The intensity of the symptoms begins to calm down. Now you're moving in the right direction and you need to get the path going down and down and down.
And once you have had seven pain-free days in a row, then you can drop those exercises off. Or if you have some issues present, then we need to figure something else. You noticed significant tooth wear or tooth is really sensitive and the test suggests joint related issue. I strongly recommend discussing the bite splint with your dentist.
You should also check the jaw mobilization video. Link it in the down description below. However, if you had have trauma on the background or if the pain becomes severe or unusually high, it's important to seek the help from the professionals. In the next video, I will go to show you exactly how to relax and calm the masseter muscles properly.
The follow-up video will appear in here within two weeks.
Explains typical masseter trigger-point referral patterns and teaches a simple stick-bite test to determine whether jaw/tooth/ear pain is coming from the chewing muscles or the jaw joint itself.
The video demonstrates specific movement patterns and clinical exercise progressions: Do you feel pain in your cheeks or in your teeth even though you've been told that the structure everything looks normal? Does your jaw feel stiff during the morning? Or do you sometimes feel the pressure in your ears? O...
If symptoms relating to "Jaw Pain or TMJ? Simple Test to Find the Real Cause (Muscle vs Joint)" persist for more than 1–2 weeks, interfere with sleep or daily function, an in-person OMT evaluation is recommended to identify the root cause and ensure proper rehabilitation.
Walks through what overloads the jaw's masseter muscle (stress, clenching, posture) and demonstrates precise self-massage, stretching and taping techniques for both the superficial and deep parts of the muscle.
Explains the stress/hormone drivers behind daytime and nighttime teeth clenching (bruxism) and gives practical relaxation techniques, mouth guard tips, and a bedtime breathing routine to reduce clenching.
Step-by-step demonstration of applying kinesiology tape over the three trigeminal nerve exit points on the face to help ease irritation and pressure from trigeminal neuralgia.
Get instant access to Janne Sakkinen's official Google Drive folder with exercise guides and rehabilitation protocols.
Get Free PDF Guides (Google Drive)Medical Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is strictly for educational purposes and does not replace a clinical physical therapy evaluation, medical diagnosis, or individualized treatment plan.
