Gua Sha for TMJ

Let me take you back 3 years ago- I was in a car accident and left with a dislocated jaw and terrible headaches because of it. Not to mention the popping in and out of place, soreness, and total discomfort. I chose not to go the surgical route and instead make small changes daily to help prevent the consistency of symptoms. Don’t get me wrong, I still suffer from the headaches and discomfort at times in which case I have been using a Gua Sha tool to help with the chronic pain and inflammation. 

Gua Sha treatment has been around for decades, used in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) when people fell ill, to help reduce the side effects and symptoms of their illness. I have been consistent with it for about 2.5 weeks now and have seen improvements with facial inflammation and headaches! I definitely suffer with stagnant lymphatic drainage and detoxification and see a big difference just in that.

For TMJ, Gua Sha helps my masseter muscle to relax and loosen making it a simpler task to open/close my mouth as well as decrease muscle bulging. I have also been more conscious about not eating so raw (veg, nuts, fruit) and occasionally wearing a mouth piece at night! If you suffer from a dislocated jaw and have also refused surgery, I’d look into getting Botox in your masseter muscle as well. This will freeze the muscle causing it not to enlarge, pop, shift, or feel like it’s hanging. I would start with 10-20 units on each side every 5-6 months depending on severity.

I went ahead and linked the high quality products I use along with a face map to show how to properly glide the tool on your face. Still learning 🙋🏼‍♀️ so this map has been such a good guide for me!

xx. Steph

https://www.theskingames.com/gua-sha-the-history-benefits-and-side-effects/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27672506/