jaw and head pain

[doglover]

Hi,
I haven't posted in a while. I have been on Citalopram since Christmas and my anxiety is reduced and my main symptoms which were upper back pain/chest tightness are improved but not gone all together.
However my main problem now seems to be constant tightness around my jaw either side by my ears. My whole face feels so tense all the time I cannot relax it and have a permanent headache. My arms keep feeling wierd too. Does anyone else have this and any ideas what to do?
Thanks
Donna

[Bill]

Hello Donna,

One possible cause is TMJ - "clenching your teeth".

When we feel tense, we clench our teeth which creates physical stress which runs up to our ears and often over the top of the head and down to the neck. This teeth clenching causes the headaches.

If then you also tense your muscles up around your shoulders, your arms will also be affected.

Sometimes also we clench our teeth at night which can also cause our problems without being aware of what we're doing. The night problem can be corrected by wearing a mouthguard which the dentist can provide which protects the teeth from the pressure.

During the day, try exercising your jaw, facial muscles and arms. Give them a workout to relieve the tension in them.

I'm sure your headaches are connected to your facial and jaw tension.:hugs:

[scooby28]

I had the cleanching teeth thing last year it was horrible, the pain went around my jaw and up my face around my hair line and was really bad around my ears, I just had a contstant bad head for months.
Once I got told what it was it calmed me down alot and it went away eventually but you can buy the mouth guards from places like boots that you can wear at night to stop your teeth grinding together.

[AtmoLav]

I've had this since Christmas, went to the pyhsio who explained how your neck, shoulder, jaw and face muscles are all connected. First, make sure you sit properly, sit back and your chair and don't slump - make sure your shoulders are relaxed and not around your ears, don't chew gum and try not to tense your jaw in any way (you don't have to grind your teeth, you can just tense your jaw without clenching. For the headaches, use Tiger Balm (you can get it from Boots) which stinks but gets rid of them. Hope that helps!

[doglover]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will try all your suggestions.
Best wishes to you all
Donna x