Thanks for the offer.
‘neck issues‘ was a bit of a shorthand for the sake of the post. Really more of a cluster of problems through my jaw, neck and upper back. I can’t remember ever having the ability to open my jaw fully without it moving it clunking, and/ or moving to one side to get around some resistance. Similar situation around the base of my neck - just does not move freely the way it should. The upper back tightness that went with it is pretty much resolved. The fact that I have been able to fix similar mobility issues right through my thoracic spine gives me hope of eventually fixing my jaw and neck. Just about everything in my upper back was ’locked’ vertebrae, joints between vertebrae and ribs, scapula….
Writing about the issue and Remembering what it used to be like has made me realise OS has actually helped it enormously. It just seemed unspectacular because the fix was not total (yet!) and it has taken a long time. I used to get full blown torticollis which was seriously debilitating, and I have gone from that to symptoms that cause no pain and only mild discomfort.
I have noticed in the past year that I have a tight psoas and QL on one side and a postural tendency to lean in that direction.(hard to say which is the cause and which is the effect) I think this a has been the case all my life so I just didn’t notice, the way a fish doesn’t notice it is wet. When I look back at old photos I can see myself consistently leaning to the same side, even as a child. I am pretty sure this is linked to the neck issues, as stretching those muscles has given significant relief.
That is my Gordian knot. Any attempts to untie (or slice through) will be greatly appreciated
Okay, forgive me if some of this is redundant with some of the stuff you’ve already been doing or tried. Also, don’t hurt yourself. None of this should be painful and if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Here goes:
TMJ function is very closely linked to cervical function. Notice, when you open your mouth wide, the opening is ( or should be) created as much or more by the cranium tipping back/as it is the TMJ hinging down. So if your Atlantic-occipital joint (where your noggin sits atop your neck) is stiff, TMJ stiffness/dysfunction will follow. There are a number of manual joint and soft tissue techniques that may be helpful, but as far as self-treatment goes, there are a few things to try.
1. Work on Atlantic-occipital nodding mobility: place a hand on the back of your head and the web space between thumb and index of the other hand on your chin. Gently push back on your chin as you lift the back of your head with the other hand, and perform a slight nod. Do this several times and try switching hands. From the downward nodded position, you can also then push back against your back hand for a gentle suboccipital isometric/stretch.
You can then do the inverse by placing the front hand under the chin instead of across the front of the chin. Now pull down on the back of the head as you gently push up on the chin to create an upward nod. Repeat several times and play with subtle angle changes to find little restrictions.
After doing these, see if your nodding mobility seems any better.
2. Upper cervical rotation. I like the Mulligan SNAG for rotation shown here:
3. Self-release for the sternocleidomastoid. This muscle can be a culprit in both neck stiffness/pain and TMJ dysfunction. A couple good moves shown in the linked video. Note that for her “move #2”, I like to flip my hand over so that my thumb is on the front of the muscle rather than the back.
Hope there’s something helpful somewhere in all this. Let me know if you have any questions about all this.
Best of luck,
Aaron