@drjoedamiani: 🔥 Jaw and neck tension? Your tongue might actually help! Your jaw, tongue, neck, and shoulder region are connected through a network of muscles, fascia, and the hyoid bone—which means tension and movement in one area can influence another. 💡 Here’s what’s happening: The omohyoid muscle runs from the shoulder blade region to the hyoid bone in your neck. ⚡ The hyoid also serves as an attachment point for several muscles associated with the tongue, jaw, and neck. ⚡ Because these structures interact, changing the position of your shoulder blade, hyoid, tongue, and head can progressively tension this muscular chain. ⚡ This stretch combines all of those movements to target the area from the shoulder blade through the front and side of the neck. 🛠️ Try this stretch: ✅ STEP 1: Shoulder blade down Place your arm behind your back and gently depress your shoulder blade. ✅ STEP 2: Tongue out + down Stand tall, stick your tongue out, and point it downward. Only open your mouth as much as necessary—don’t force your jaw open. ✅ STEP 3: Add the neck For a deeper stretch, gently look upward and tilt your head away from the side you’re stretching. ✅ STEP 4: Hold Maintain the position at a comfortable intensity, then slowly release. 🔥 Put it all together: Arm behind back → shoulder blade down → tongue out and down → look up → tilt away. The goal isn’t just to stretch your tongue—it’s to create a controlled stretch through the interconnected hyoid, neck, and shoulder tissues that may be contributing to tension around the jaw and neck. #JawPain #NeckPain #TMJ #JawTension #NeckTension

Dr. Joe Damiani, DPT

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Tuesday 01 September 2026 13:22:20 GMT