![]() ![]() “I also have a temporomandibular joint I can’t get rid of.” This makes it slightly amusing when people say, “I have chronic TMJ.” But the acronym TMJ refers only to the joint itself. This isn’t a casual shortening of the term: people think “TMJ” refers to the syndrome. ![]() “TMJ syndrome” is often mistakenly referred to as just “TMJ”. (Although I’m pleased to see a surprisingly strong interest in the subject amongst dental specialists.) When irritated, masseter muscle knots can cause and/or complicate several problems: Why is the masseter muscle a Perfect Spot for massage?Ī little muscle rubbing and stretching probably eases pain and stiffness at least a little, 7 and it’s easy to imagine why this muscle might enjoy that: whose jaw isn’t at least a little bit tense? But the masseter’s potential to cause trouble - and its need for some massage - is often underestimated by both patients and professionals. The physics details are a bit mind-bendy. 5 This feathered arrangement favours torque over speed, making the masseter a “low gear” muscle, slow but powerful and efficient, lots of chewing bang for your masseter buck. The masseter gets extraordinary strength from a “multipennate” arrangement of fibres that’s like a complex feather - fibres converging diagonally on several internal tendons. It’s amazing how specialized muscles can be. For contrast, the world record for human bite strength is 442 kgf. 3 Together with the temporalis muscle and a few other smaller muscles, most people can generate at least about 68 kilograms of force (kgf) between their teeth. Not only does the masseter muscle probably harbour some of the most common trigger points in the human body, the masseter is also the strongest muscle in the human body (pound for pound), although many variables make this difficult to be sure of. The masseter muscle is strong (and special) 2 It is an accomplice in many cases of bruxism (that’s Latin for “grinding your teeth”) and temporomandibular joint syndrome (jaw joint pain), and probably other unexplained painful problems in the area - it will be either a contributing factor or a complication. And so it’s also the muscle that clenches your jaw and grinds your teeth, unfortunately, and it’s one of the most common locations for trigger points in the human body. Your masseter muscle is your primary chewing muscle - not the only one, 1 but the main one - and it covers the sides of the jaw just behind the cheeks. ![]()
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