Anatomy of the Month: Temporalis
4th August 2020
Each month we’re highlighting a part of the anatomy that we think needs a little air time. Who better to run us through than MASAJ Founder Scarlet!
This month we’re focusing on the Temporal Muscle, also known to therapists at the Temporalis, and what an important role this muscle has…
Touch your temples with your fingers and then bite down, do you feel a muscle flex outward from the temples? This is the ‘temporal muscle’, also known as ‘temporalis’; above it is drawn by our Designer @sophiebansal.
In latin the word 'temporalis' relates to the side of the head. Temporalis is a flat and fan-shaped muscle of mastication (chewing) on each lateral side of the skull. It is connected by a tendon via the zygomatic arch and inserts on the coronoid process of the mandible (of the jaw).
Temporalis is a powerful muscle and the strongest of those of mastication. The muscle elevates the mandible upwards, helps with side to side grinding movements and retracts the mandible. In other words, this important muscle is closing your jaw, clenching your teeth and helping with any side to side movement too.
Soft tissue massage for this muscle is super relieving and very affective for aiding release of tension type headaches and TMJ disorders. Its very much connected to over gum-chewing, nail-biting, jaw-clenching and night-time or other stressed related teeth-grinding. You will often feel other pain referred to other parts too that stems from this muscle being in tension.
Of course our team are big fans of giving head massage (when Covid restrictions are lifted) and we can highly recommend coming in for some focused release in this and the surrounding muscle groups! However, you can do this at home too! Using your thumb and fingers you can apply pressure along the muscle, beginning just above the temple area and down towards the jaw. If you have discomfort in this area, apply pressure in each spot for 15 or 20 seconds- it will loosen and pain should subside.