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When was the last time you watched (or pulled) in a Tug of War? Did you notice the rope? It was probably pulled so tight it looked more like a bar of iron!

Some people get muscles pulled that tightly in their head! Understandably, this can lead to some whopper headaches. Let’s look at how this might happen…

Your lower jaw hinges on two points, which together we call the Temporomandibular Joint, or TMJ. Each side of the lower jaw has a football shaped end that fits into a socket in the base of your skull. There is also a small disk that keeps the bones from hitting each other; think of a Teflon pad to keep things moving smoothly. There are major muscles that pull your lower jaw up, bringing your teeth together, so you can chew your food. When you are not eating, but resting your teeth and jaw, the footballs should rest comfortably in their sockets.

When you close your teeth together, you have a favorite “bite” where all the points and grooves fit together ideally. In a perfect world, when you are in this position, the footballs are in their most comfortable position too. But too often, both can’t be happy at the same time, and a war breaks out. Some muscles want to pull the jaw up and back so the footballs are happy, and other muscles want to pull the jaw forward to make the teeth mesh together better. See the Tug of War starting? When these muscles are continually fighting each other, many problems start up, but often the most noticeable is HEADACHE!

There are some relatively simple techniques we can use to see if you have headaches caused by this type of Tug of War. The solutions may be surprisingly easy too! So if you or those you know have chronic headaches, give us a call!