Beauty

[fromallover]

They can do Botox injections along your jawline to reduce the clenching (make sure it's someone pecifically certified in this, not just cosmetic Botox). The other replies have great suggestions for resolving the root causes of the clenching. The Botox would just help with the jaw clenching while you work through everything. Good luck!

[violann]

On 9/7/2014 HonnyBrown said:

tars, you said all thoughts are welcome, so here goes.

I did a belly dancing class a few months back. The instructor kept pushing my shoulders down. After class, she said people hunch their shoulders without realizing it and that is a source of tension in the shoulders, upper back and neck.

Now that I am aware that I do this, I make a conscious effort to keep my shoulders down.

Also to mention, wearing a weighted walking vest CAN help, but anyone who wants to try one MUST start light and for very limited periods, and ONLY with their physician's knowledge. When I mentioned pain from my shoulder up the side of my face, my internist whisked me to a cardiac stress test, which fortunately, I passed.

[Vamp]

On 9/7/2014 AspenGrove said:

Daily vigorous exercise, yoga once or more a week, regular massage, and regular acupuncture have amazing benefits for overall mental and physical health. A former jaw clencher myself, these four things changed my life in terms of reducing stress by leaps and bounds. Also, the mention by another poster about developing a hobby is great advice and something I do as well to completely decompress from work and life stress.

I was going to say yoga and meditation, but AspenGrove, you have added some other great tips.

Good luck, tarsmom-- I hope you find the relief you need!

[Judaline]

On 9/7/2014 HonnyBrown said:

tars, you said all thoughts are welcome, so here goes.

I did a belly dancing class a few months back. The instructor kept pushing my shoulders down. After class, she said people hunch their shoulders without realizing it and that is a source of tension in the shoulders, upper back and neck.

Now that I am aware that I do this, I make a conscious effort to keep my shoulders down.

I have the same problem. When I catch sight of myself in a mirror I can't believe it. It makes me look hunched almost. Sometimes I think my shoulders are touching my earlobes. Stress, stress, stress. I have no solution. Just will power to keep them down since I can't relax.

[KippyK3]

Good morning, tarsmom. After reading your post, the first thing that I thought of is TMJ. You have described the classic symptoms of this disorder. The most common underlying causes of TMJ are stress, together with the clenching and grinding of teeth (bruxism), especially at night. It can also be caused by a combination of things. I wondered if you have ever been checked for it? It is very painful, and the continued stress from the discomfort makes it worse. Also, a good, comfy pillow is really important and helpful for this condition. There are a lot of really good suggestions above. I hope you consider this one too. Good luck, hang in there! KippyKat

[KippyK3]

On 9/8/2014 Judaline said:

On 9/7/2014 HonnyBrown said:

tars, you said all thoughts are welcome, so here goes.

I did a belly dancing class a few months back. The instructor kept pushing my shoulders down. After class, she said people hunch their shoulders without realizing it and that is a source of tension in the shoulders, upper back and neck.

Now that I am aware that I do this, I make a conscious effort to keep my shoulders down.

I have the same problem. When I catch sight of myself in a mirror I can't believe it. It makes me look hunched almost. Sometimes I think my shoulders are touching my earlobes. Stress, stress, stress. I have no solution. Just will power to keep them down since I can't relax.

Yes, agree with this also! My Physical therapist tells me to keep my shoulders off of my ears! Lol. It's hard.

[tarsmom]

Update: I missed a day of work last week and decided I needed to see my primary care dr. I saw the PA instead and she was wonderful. She listened to all of my concerns and we decided to do 20 mg of Celexa (yes, 10 mg is like nothing) and some Flexeril. I did 20 mg of Celexa for a couple days and dropped it to 15 mg. I feel 90% better! The scalp pain is gone, and I can move my neck and shoulders so much better. It's baffling that an antidepressant can relieve this kind of pain. Or it's allowing me to sleep better and the sleep is relieving my pain. All I know is I feel better. I hate the dry mouth and I hate that I am taking a pill, but when all is said and done, if you feel better, then who cares? And let me say, I was feeling terrible. I did have my BP and heart checked, too. All is ok. Thank you to all who cared enough to post on this. I hope this helps someone else, too. Don't suffer needlessly, go to your dr. and get things figured out. Thanks again!

[gazelle77]

I might suggest you google. ROLFING. I went through a 10 session series a few years ago when I was dealing with severe back pain....it deals with structural issues... All kind of pain, not just back pain. Trauma past and present that your muscles and the fascia hold into memory. It straightens you back up. Releases tension that the body holds on to....Helps your posture...it is deep tissue massage. The certified Rolfer I went to was also a PT, so I could go under my insurance as physical therapy. My back has been better ever since! I am due for a "tune-up" as they call it to reset the memory. I should call her come to think of it!

[BichonEmma]

Tara glad you're feeling better :-) .............. I would like to 2nd the rec of TMJ though. I had most of your symptoms. I did pt with a therapist who specialized in TMJ. What a difference it's made