How to relax the Temporalis Muscle
The temporalis is the muscle that you feel over your temples when you clench your teeth and as you chew.
The muscle can be tender to touch and can refer to the upper teeth, over the eyebrow and on the side of the head and sometimes to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
It is responsible for closing the jaw (when both contract), moving the jaw from side to side (when one contracts) and a little bit of retraction (pulling the jaw backwards)
It is often affected by excessive gum chewing, jaw clenching, trauma to the muscle and head position.
In my practise I often use active release technique (ART) or acupuncture to specifically treat this muscle in addition to addressing the causes of this muscle being over worked
To perform your own self treatment of this muscle (self myofascial release) take your thumb or a ball (the smaller the ball the more focused the pressure can be). Pin the tender point down. You don’t need to crush the muscle to do this. Mild to moderate discomfort is fine. Since this muscle fans out from its insertion, once you have pinned the muscle out direct the ball/thumb in different direction.
To add a stretch to it simply open up your mouth. If you deviate your jaw to the other side you will add a little more stretch the the muscle.
Interesting! How much times a day do you suggest to do the muscle release?
I’ve actually found that this isn’t something you do on a daily basis. Like other pin and stretch techniques this might be once or twice a week. Some people have tried to do it daily only to find they are sore or the skin becomes irritated.
Hello Dr Notley,
I suffer from this condition which I have only noticed since I started wearing a motorcycle helmet.
It only affects one side of my head, and I can also get an aching ear as well.
Your treatment certainly helps; but I am struggling to try and find out why this is happening in the first instance. To my knowledge I am not jaw clenching etc, and if I perform your exercise before my ride, I can achieve a longer ride without the need to stop and rest to alleviate the pain.
I had planned some interstate riding, but cannot wear my helmet more than about 90 minutes. I had a larger helmet at one stage, and the same problem was occurring! Thankyou.
I’ll have to look into this. See if I can come up with an answer for you
Hi,
I have temporalis hypertrophy on my right side. Is it possible to massage it to become less tensed and smaller. Or is the only way to make it smaller and less tenses to inject Botox?
I experienced temporal hollowing after braces placement. I guess because of not chewing due to pain. What can i do to rebuid the temporalis and masseter muscles? I have also been experiencing some headaches.