Pain Clinic

Headache

Temporal Headache

Temporalis muscle

It is quite common disorder nowadays. Most of people are under stress. When people have stress or are lifting heavy things, they are crunching jaw and/or grinding teeth at night or at that time.

When they are crunching jaw, temporalis and masseter muscles are contracted. If temporalis and masseter muscles are too much contracted leading to muscle spasms, muscles are not returned to normal state of muscle tone and constantly in spasming.

Facial nerve are innervated in temporalis. When temporalis is contracted, facial nerve is jammed with spasming muscle. And spasmed muscle is pulling, making shorting length of muscle, eventually, attached area of muscle is torn and/or tearing, leading to inflammation of tearing tissue such as muscle inflammation, and tendonitis, making pain.

Temporomandibular joint

Those spasming of temporalis and masseter muscles are further damaged TMJ(temporomandibular joint). Because those spasms of temporalis and masseter are making TMJ not enough spacing, leading to compress TMJ. Furthermore, you should use TMJ for eating, chewing, biting, crushing hard foods. Therefore, articular disc of TMJ is getting damage such as crushing, grinding action by yourself.

Location of articular disc of TMJ

If you don’t have enough space at TMJ, articular disc is compressed and making clicking noise when opening and closing mouth.

Therefore, TMJ pain and temporalis headache is quite close relationship.