Читать книгу Exercises for the Jaw to Shoulder - Release Your Kinetic Chain - Dr. Brian James Abelson DC. - Страница 24

The TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) is considered to be one of the most complex joints in the human body. The TMJ works like a hinge but can also perform sliding motions.

When the TMJ and its accompanying soft tissues are restricted or unbalanced, it can result in conditions such as headaches, earaches, facial pain, vision problems, eye pain, teeth problems, balance issues, tinnitus, throat and neck pain, dizziness, and a host of other symptoms.

Most of these complaints arise from the muscles that surround the temporomandibular joint and the joint itself.

Kinetic Chain components of the Jaw, Neck, and Shoulder.

Problems in any one of these areas can cause pain or dysfunction in any of the related kinetic chain structures. Remember, a lack of symptoms in an area does not mean that area remains unaffected.

From a kinetic chain perspective, the movements of your jaw, neck, and shoulders are directly linked. For example, the activation of the neck and jaw muscles occurs in concert with movements of the TMJ, cervical spine, and the atlanto-occipital joints.¹

(Atlanto-occipital refers to the joint that lies between the base of the skull (occiput) and the C1 vertebra (atlas)).

Thus, any injury to the neck or shoulder muscles can directly affect jaw function. Problems in one area of your kinetic chain can rapidly cascade to structures in adjacent areas. This is a key concept to keep in mind when evaluating problems with your jaw, since the source of the problem could originate from neck, shoulders, and even your core!

When you keep the inter-relationships of this kinetic chain in mind, it becomes much easier to resolve jaw problems. This is the logic we apply when prescribing exercises to our patients for the jaw, neck, and shoulder. By integrating an appropriate combination of jaw, neck, and shoulder exercises, we are able to achieve a greater beneficial effect for our patients.