Hey Everyone and welcome or welcome back to my YouTube channel! My name is Priya Mistry and I'm the TMJ doc.
Today's video is how to release the Sternocleidomastoid, or the SCM - how I'll be referring to it throughout the duration of this video.
The SCM is a large muscle that actually attaches to the mastoid process, which is this little bony knob behind our earlobes.
The mastoid process is part of the temporal bone in our skull. The temporal bone is a bony component of the Temporomandibular Joint.
The SCM is often a big player in TMJ Disorders and when it becomes dysfunctional or fibrotic, it can cause a lot of discomfort.
So to figure out how to release this muscle well, watch this video until the end because that's what we'll be going over!
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a General Dentist with a practice in beautiful Portland, Oregon where we are dedicated to taking care of patients with TMJ Disorders.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out my Instagram handle. I post there quite frequently - tips, tricks, trivia about TMJD. So let's get right into it!
The SCM originates on the clavicle and the sternum and then it goes up and inserts into the mastoid process - that bony hump behind our earlobe - as well as the lateral aspect of the occipital bone.
So this can be a factor in occipital - or base of the head pain - as well. The SCM is a two-headed neck muscle which functions to
flex the neck laterally, or to the side, and anteriorly, or forward. The SCM also rotates the head to the opposite side that's contracting.
So essentially, this is a huge player in the neck - in the range of motion of the neck, in the function of the neck overall. To release this muscle well, I recommend two moves.
The first moves runs with the fibers of the muscle. So you can look in the mirror and turn your head slightly to just locate the muscle.
So if you turn your head, you'll locate the right SCM, and vice versa. Once you locate this large muscle, use your thumb and place it on the mastoid process, which is the bony hump behind your ear lobe.
So with your thumb, run down the muscle to both of the heads - so where it attaches on the sternum and then onto the clavicle.
So as you run your thumb down the muscle, use some pressure - just enough so that it feels good and don't overdo it! You can also have someone do this for you.
You can lay down and they can come behind you, sit behind you, and run their thumbs down that muscle. So this one's kind of hard to do on yourself, but it is possible.
So here's the demo! Turn your head to the side, place your thumb on the mastoid process back here and run your thumb all the way down that muscle.
First to the clavicle, which is your collarbone, and then the sternum which is just right in the center here.
So you can always look up the anatomy or Google the anatomy of this muscle and I have my diagrams as well. So the second move is just actually pinching the muscle.
So that might sound uncomfortable but it actually feels really good. I like to use my thumb, my pointer, and my middle fingers. And I just start at the mastoid process..
..and gently apply pressure all the way down. So here's the demo for that one. And you can go all the way down.
Obviously this shirt is preventing me from doing that but you can get to your sternum and your clavicle with this move as well.
So you can do these moves 2-3 times per day to help release tense of fibrotic areas in the SCM. So many - the vast majority -of my patients...
...have fibrotic areas in this muscle and it definitely feeds up and affects the jaw in not such a great way. If you can properly release this muscle you can potentially increase..
..the range of motion of the neck and really impact your jaw in a very positive way. So that's really it, my friends. If you like what you heard or you learned something new,
click "Like" below, Subscribe to my channel, do all the things. and as always, you can never have TMI about TMJ! Thank you!