How Tension In The Jaw Can Manifest In Other Areas Of The Body

Quick jaw check: Are your teeth clenched right now? If the answer is yes, unclench them. Now, roll your shoulders back, release any tension in your neck, and take a deep breath.

Like most symptoms, it's best not to self-diagnose jaw pain because the underlying causes can vary. "There are musculoskeletal reasons like bruxism (teeth grinding), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and neck pain, as well as neurological reasons like headaches or migraines," integrative medicine physician Aditi Nerurkar, M.D., MPH, says. "And of course, we have to think about stress-related issues." 

Tension in the jaw can interfere with chewing and may lead to pain in the jaw (as you probably deduced). Less obviously, jaw tension can also be associated with discomfort in the neck, shoulder, hips, or even lower back, says Jaclyn Fulop, P.T., board-certified physical therapist.  

"The mind and the body are so intertwined," Fulop says. "If a person is dealing with the constant stresses of daily life it is likely to manifest in physical aches and pains in the body." To break it down: When the brain releases stress hormones, triggering the fight-or-flight response, heart rate and blood pressure can increase. When these two vitals go up, Fulop says the muscles will tighten.  

"When muscles will stay in a contracted state and shorten, pain will eventually set in," she says. "How we treat our body through our eating habits, exercise habits, and dealing with stress will play an extremely important role in our overall health and wellness." 

There are plenty of stretches Fulop recommends to reduce tension in the jaw, including head rotations, chin tucks, lower jaw retraction and protraction, and tongue-ups (placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth, then slowly opening and closing the jaw).