Why we check your jaw when you come in for neck and shoulder pain

What follows combines several people's visits into one reconstructed account. It is not any one person's story, and anything that could identify someone has been removed.

How do people describe it when they come in?

They say that every afternoon the back of their neck stiffens and their head starts to throb. Massage or physical therapy makes it better that day, but it's back the next.

Most people assume it's their posture. So they've been treating just the neck and shoulders, and come to us wondering, "Do I have to live with this forever?"

Why look at the jaw?

Many people clench their teeth when stressed, and most don't realize it. That force lands on the jaw and upper neck all day long.

The jaw is where the structure that supports the head begins. If it gets fixed off to one side, the body keeps using the neck, shoulder and back muscles to stay balanced. Those muscles never get to rest.

That's why loosening only the neck feels good that day and comes back the next. The part applying the force hasn't changed.

Is there a way to check this yourself?

Notice whether your upper and lower teeth are touching during the day. When your mouth is closed, the relaxed position is with the teeth slightly apart.

If you suddenly notice it while working, you're often already clenching. Also feel whether the muscle at the side of your cheek is hard.

If your jaw feels stiff in the morning, or someone has told you that you make noises at night, you may be grinding your teeth in your sleep, so we also recommend a dental check.

How do we treat it?

We loosen the muscles that close the jaw together with the upper neck, and work on the areas that are twisted. On top of that, we teach you to notice clenching during the day.

Noticing really matters. If you notice your teeth are touching, you can relax them — if you don't, you clench all day.

What are the limits of this approach?

We can't make the clenching habit itself go away. If your stress doesn't ease, it comes back.

One more thing: neck and shoulder pain has other causes too. If numbness runs down your arm or your arm gets weak, a check for a herniated disc in the neck comes first.

If you have the same symptoms

1. Sometimes loosening only the neck helps that day and it's back the next.
2. Most people don't realize they have a clenching habit.
3. With your mouth closed, the relaxed position is teeth slightly apart.
4. If your jaw is stiff in the morning, we recommend a dental check for grinding during sleep.
5. If numbness runs down your arm or it gets weak, a check for a herniated disc in the neck comes first.

We look at the neck, jaw and back together. Only by finding where it started can we keep the same spot from stiffening up again and again.

If the same spot keeps stiffening, or the tension starts in your neck and climbs up to your head, come in and get measured. It doesn't take long to find where it started.

Progress differs from person to person, depending on habits and daily life.