If you live with jaw pain, you might not expect the neck to be part of the picture. But the jaw and the upper neck share nerve pathways, and tension in one often shows up in the other. This review set out to test something practical: does treating the cervical joints in the neck actually help people with temporomandibular disorders (TMD)?
The authors pulled together five randomised controlled trials with 213 people between them, most of them women, and compared cervical manual therapy against no treatment or a placebo. They looked at orofacial pain, how sensitive the tissues were to pressure, and how well the jaw was working.
So many people who come in for jaw pain also carry tension through the neck and upper back. This review backs what we see day to day, that treating the neck can be a real part of settling the jaw.
The trials used manual therapy aimed at the cervical joints, things like joint mobilisation and soft-tissue techniques applied to the upper neck, rather than only working directly on the jaw itself.
To get a clean read on what the hands-on work added, the trials compared it against no treatment or a placebo, so any improvement could be pinned to the therapy.
The findings pointed in a consistent direction. Treating the neck helped the jaw.
Cervical manual therapy reduced orofacial pain by a meaningful margin (mean difference around 1.8cm on a 10cm scale).
Jaw function improved, with a moderate effect size favouring the manual therapy groups.
Pressure pain thresholds improved, meaning the tissues became less sensitive to pressure after treatment.
The benefits were shown in the short term, so ongoing care and self-management still matter.
Across five trials, working on the neck reduced jaw pain and improved how the jaw functioned in people with TMD, at least in the short term. The neck and jaw really are connected.
This is good support for treating the whole region rather than just the sore spot. For a myotherapist or physio, it backs assessing and treating the upper neck as part of a jaw plan, not as an afterthought.
It also fits how we already work. Jaw pain rarely travels alone, and easing neck tension, whether through hands-on work, dry needling of tight muscles, or exercise, gives us more ways to help than focusing on the jaw in isolation.
Supports soft-tissue and joint work through the upper neck as part of treating jaw pain, not just the jaw itself.
Backs cervical mobilisation and a whole-region approach for TMD.
Reinforces releasing the neck and upper back muscles that sit alongside jaw tension.
Complements needling of tight neck and jaw muscles within a broader manual therapy plan.
This was a small review, five trials and a bit over 200 people, and most were women, so we should be careful about stretching the findings too far. The benefits were shown in the short term, and the authors were clear that more and better-quality studies are needed to know how long the relief lasts.
TMD is rarely down to one thing. Muscles, joints, stress and sometimes dental factors all play a part, so care works best as part of a broader plan, coordinated with your dentist or doctor where needed.
Pooling five trials, this review found that manual therapy to the neck reduced jaw pain and improved jaw function in people with TMD. It is a reminder that the jaw and neck work as a team, and treating both often makes sense.
Manual Therapy Applied to the Cervical Joint Reduces Pain and Improves Jaw Function in Individuals with Temporomandibular Disorders. Liberato FMG, Nascimento LR. Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache, 2023. Please confirm the full citation at the source before publishing.
