05/26/2026
Very interesting recent article about the relationship between the neck and jaw -- both biomechanically and symptomatically. Do you have TMJ pain that we can help you treat and get results? Call the clinic now at 503-244-6232.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐: ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
โฌ If you suffer from jaw clicking, restricted mouth movement, or pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), you are not alone. TMJ disorders are widespread, with a prevalence ranging from 21.1% to 73.3% in the general population.
โฌ While traditional treatments often focus solely on the jaw itself, a fascinating 2025 randomized controlled trial published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders by Arslan et al. suggests that the key to alleviating TMJ symptoms might actually lie in your neck.
โ โ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐
โฌ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ
โฌ The cervical (neck) muscles are responsible for stabilizing your head and neck, which provides a solid foundation for controlled jaw movements like chewing, speaking, and swallowing.
โฌ Any biomechanical alterations in your neck posture can directly change how your TMJ positions itself and moves.
โฌ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ
โฌ Trigeminal nerves (which serve the jaw and face) and cervical nerves (which serve the neck) converge in the brainstem at a site called the trigeminocervical complex.
โฌ Because these nociceptive (pain) signals integrate in the same place, pain and dysfunction in the neck can easily be referred to the jaw.
โ โ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐: ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด (๐๐ฆ๐ง) ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐๐
โฌ The researchers set out to evaluate if adding Cervical Stabilization Training (CST) to standard TMJ treatment would yield better results for patients.
โฌ The study followed 30 participants aged 18 to 50 who were diagnosed with TMJ disorders, dividing them equally into a control group and a CST group.
โฌ Over the course of 8 weeks, both groups received a standard treatment program consisting of TMJ education and a home program of six specific jaw-targeting movements known as Rocabado exercises.
๐ช โฌ However, the CST group received an additional intervention.
โฌ Three times a week (one supervised session and two at home), they performed a 30-minute routine of cervical stabilization exercises.
โฌ This specific training targeted the deep neck flexor muscles using a pressure biofeedback unit (the Chattanooga Stabilizer) to ensure correct muscle activation.
โฌ The exercises progressed through neurodevelopmental sequencesโmoving from lying down to crawling and standingโand incorporated elastic resistance bands and exercise balls on unstable surfaces
โ โ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐๐น
โฌ After 8 weeks, the researchers measured the participants' jaw pain, symptom severity, neck posture, neck mobility, and neck muscle performance.
โ
โฌ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐
โฌ Within the CST group, patients saw significant improvements in TMJ symptom severity, cervical posture (measured by the craniovertebral angle), cervical mobility in multiple directions, and overall neck muscle performance.
๐ โฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
โฌ When compared directly to the control group (who only did standard jaw exercises), the CST group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in both TMJ pain intensity at rest and cervical muscle performance.
โฌ The control group, by contrast, only saw minor improvements in neck flexion and right lateral flexion, with no significant improvements in overall jaw pain or symptom severity.
โ โ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป?
โฌ The researchers attribute the success of CST to a few key mechanisms.
โฌ By using pressure biofeedback to specifically target deep cervical flexor muscles (like the longus colli and capitis), CST helps normalize muscle activation patterns that are often dysfunctional in people with TMJ issues.
โฌ This targeted neck activation improves overall head and neck stability, which in turn reduces the compensatory overactivity of the jaw muscles via the trigeminocervical reflex pathway.
โฌ Furthermore, training these muscles across different functional positions (from lying down to standing) helps enhance motor control and proprioception throughout the entire neck-jaw unit.
โ โ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐
โฌ While the researchers noted that larger studies with long-term follow-ups are needed to confirm how sustainable these results are, the clinical implications are clear.
โฌ If you are dealing with TMJ disordersโespecially if you have concurrent neck pain or poor postureโjaw exercises alone may not be enough.
โฌ Integrating Cervical Stabilization Training into a comprehensive TMJ management program can significantly improve neck mobility, fix postural issues, and most importantly, help dial down the resting jaw pain that makes TMJ disorders so debilitating.
โฌ Clinicians treating TMJ should strongly consider evaluating the cervical spine and implementing deep neck flexor training to address the root of the dysfunction.
