Headaches caused by jaw tension

[mamster]

I have constant headaches (around my jar, sides of face, ears) I think caused by tension my jaw. I don't know how to stop. It's not tension, I think it's habit and possibly poor posture. I've seen an osteo for years (5+) and while I feel better for a while after, the next day it starts again. I can't afford to go weekly. I want to stop the cycle. Any advice?

[FlopemOut]

Hi. I used to get these - until I realised that I was grinding my teeth at night. I now have a guard which is helping me to stop. Can you ask your DP/DH if you grind your teeth? If you do, a dentist can sort you out with a biteguard. Hope you get it sorted soon as I understand how annoying and tiring the pain can be.

[NorbertDentressangle]

A tip my Pilates instructor gave me ( as I was getting tension headaches after a class) is to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth as its more difficult to clench your jaw then.

[sickofsocalledexperts]

I also use a mouthguard, and was at one stage prescribed a drug called pizotifen, which was fab at getting rid of the headaches but also sent me to sleep and made me eat like a horse. The thing I do now is take both paracetemol and nurofen express the minute I feel the first twinge of a headache in order to get rid of it.
Mine are worst in the middle of my menstrual cycle, and the nice, if rather blunt, doc told me that once I hit the menopause they will probably go altogether!

[mamster]

I have tried with a mouth guard but since I don't actually grind it didn't make much difference. I had one made at great expense (about £80). Maybe I should try it again?

My dentist said I wasn't grinding them. It seems I'm just fixing my jaw in a certain position. I do it in the day and at night.

The only thing that works to relieve the pain is codine. However, it's not really painful every day. Mostly it's just an ache but once a week or so it's amazingly painful and my whole head feels like it's going to burst. It makes me tired and miserable. I want to be better for my own sanity and for my family. I feel itred most of the time and feel like my life is passing me by. I don't have the energy to do much, esp in the evenings,

[nearlybeans]

Orthodontics may be the answer. Failing that, a mouthguard. Either way, see your dentist.

[Lotster]

I've been suffering with this too, I do have a mouthguard but find it makes me sleep badly because I'm so aware of it. I also have bad posture. Recently I've been placing a rolled up towel down my spine (roughly from lower back to base of neck) so my head rests on the floor as do my shoulders either side, thus stretching out my muscles at the front of the shoulders, for 5-10 mins, morning and night. I did this on my Osteo's advice and it have been helping.

Mouthguards are about £50 to get made from the dentist. If you can't bear it at night like me, wearing them for a while in the day can help train against clenching.

[mamster]

I never thought of wearing the guard in the day. I will give it a go.

Damn, I am tensing again now.

Am going to wash the guard and put it in now.

[mamster]

Does anyone think it could be caused (or made worse) by dehydration? I went to work today and am not good at keeping up with my water intake in the office. I feel a bit like I suck my tongue.

[Elk]

I have a lavender wheat bag thing that you heat up in the microwave which I use to relieve the pain in my jaw and to try and relax it a bit. Strangely enough I find that being on the computer makes me clench my jaw so I have to (try) to restrict my usage.

Somewhere on here I saw a thread where somebody gave some jaw exercises which are quite good at relieving tension in the jaw.

[mamster]

I have one of those too!! I've not used it on my jaw though. I will go and find it.

Interesting about being on the computer. I wonder if I'm the same. I will try and monitor it. My job is 95% computer based.

Will look for the exercises too.

[mamster]

Does it explain why I do it in the first place? I feel like if I knew that I could work towards stopping.