Singer LeAnn Rimes has gone viral for her reaction while receiving jaw release therapy.
In a session with Garry Lineham, co-founder of Human Garage in California — a resource for self-healing practices — Rimes received an intra-oral massage, releasing the tension in her jaw. She seemed to instantly feel relief, sobbing on the table.
Jaw release therapy, which involves the massaging or stretching of muscles in the face, is popular for relieving TMJ pain, headaches and jaw clicking, according to experts.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Lineham shared that stress has an immense impact on human health, especially on muscle tension and pain.
“We hold emotions in our body,” he said. “Emotions cause a sympathetic response or a stress response in the body.”
“Stress is one thing that impacts every disease, whether it’s emotional or physical, whether it is genetic,” he went on. “Stress is the thing that makes genetics pop. If you take away stress, those genetic markers no longer express themselves.”
Clenching the jaw can create stress, which happens naturally with physical and emotional exertion, according to Lineham.
“If you clench your jaw and hold it there for three to five minutes … you’ll actually fire adrenaline and norepinephrine (hormones and neurotransmitters),” he said.
This sends a message to the body that you’re bracing for an “attack,” releasing hormones like stress, Lineham added.
“When you release the jaw, then instantaneously you come out of fight or flight mode.”
How jaw release works
Jaw release therapy targets the fascia, or the connective tissue that supports the body’s muscles, organs and joints. Stretching the fascia also allows the muscle to stretch, providing relief, Lineham said.
“When you release the jaw, then instantaneously you come out of that fight or flight mode,” he said. “And if you’ve been there for a long time, like most people have, it instantaneously shocks the nervous system in a good way.”
Dr. Justin Richer, oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Riverside Oral Surgery in New Jersey, shared the benefits and risks of jaw release treatment with Fox News Digital.
Certain muscles in the body, such as the shoulder or back, can tense up and “overreact to problems that are going on within them,” said the doctor, who did not treat Rimes.
“Jaw release is almost like a massage or similar technique, to put pressure on the muscles and let the tension that’s built up just kind of relax away,” he said. “It’s not something that a lot of people do.”
The procedure is most beneficial for those with symptoms of TMJ, facial and muscle pain, and tightness, according to Richer.
Some physical therapists and massage therapists offer this treatment, but Richer recommends seeking help from an oral-facial pain specialist or surgeon who “really understands the anatomy of the jaw joint.”
“If it’s done properly, there’s very minimal risk,” he said. “What we get concerned about is undue manipulation of the joint, so either cracking or distorting or trying to forcefully move the joint . . . that can actually cause undue harm from an orthopedic perspective.”
Despite the benefits, Richer stressed that this kind of therapy may be a temporary fix, as it could be treating only the symptoms of an underlying problem.
“Get a diagnosis first before you go ahead and start manipulating things,” he advised.
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