Clenching, And Not Just My Jaw!

[Dulasiri]

Hello, since I was a child, I've clenched various groups of muscles. Not just my jaw, although I locked that in an of position years ago. No I'm talking my inner thighs, my chest, my feet, whatever.
It's subtle, no one ever sees me doing it. But it sure can make it hard to drive.
The problem is I'm giving my self what the Dr thought was osteitis, but I know now it's from clenching so hard.
I've had some training, see a therapist and had BPT training but to no avail.

Does anyone else suffer this?

 

[Muted]

Yes, it's only been a few months but it drives me nuts! Mainly my legs and feet almost all of the time. The more stressed and pressure I feel the worse it is. I've also been holding the tip of my tongue between my teeth, no idea why!!

 

[SophiaWisdom]

Yes. SUPER common for PTSD sufferers. Many somatic specialists say the psoas is the most common area to store old trauma - I Know I do there. This can cause tightness in the sciatica, hips, butt, all the way up the back and down the legs to the feet. I had the standard migraines and TMJ from grinding but I actually stopped that by getting my wisdom teeth removed finally.

I've been a dancer since the age of 4 and I constantly get hurt with structural issues because I never stood properly and used the wrong muscles. When I'm actively dancing I'm healtheir and less prone to injuries, but when I dance I'm also constantly injured, eiuther through self-sabotage (my father is against my dancing) or some kind of strange strain.

This is why shaking helps us so much - Trauma Release Exercise. I jus tlet my body shake to expel all that energy and the clenching stops./ Pardon my typos I have a neurological tremor from the PTSD/

 

[Tinyflame]

Absolutely. I was really disappointed with yoga, they kept saying, " muscle-to-bone, tighten-the-muscle-to-the-bone!", and I realized it already was, everywhere. Also, my tight/ flat stomach = ulcers since a child. I need the opposite.

Welcome to you.

 

[hodge]

Yep. I just started physical therapy for sciatica this week. The PTs remark on how tight all my muscles are. When I become aware of that, I force myself to relax, and there's a huge difference. But the moment I take my attention away, they're all tight again. I suspect the only thing to do for it is like I do for my TMJ when it flares up -- keep returning my attention to the parts of my body that are tensed up and get them to relax. And just keep doing it. Mine tends to be in my neck, shoulders and back, as well as jaw.

 

[Deleted member 541]

Yes, yes and yes...... I've had this most of my life. I went to a massage therapist once, and she told me that my body felt like she was working on wood cause I was so tight....... like @hodge when I notice it, I force to relax, but then boom, I'm tight again.....

 

[Gs172003]

Yeah. I do. Sometimes I think I have an earache when really it's my clenched jaws. My whole body is one big clench.

 

[hodge]

Yeah. I do. Sometimes I think I have an earache when really it's my clenched jaws. My whole body is one...

TMJ can lead to earaches and also cause pain in the sinuses by the cheekbones and forehead, according to the Mayo Clinic web page on it. During my last big flare-up, I wondered for a bit if I had a sinus infection.

 

[Panda Bear]

Yes!

I used to be in so much pain all the time and had terrible tmj pain as well has awful headaches. Joint pain was so bad! Learning to relax my muscles(progressive muscle relaxation) and when I finally learned to sleep with out being curled up in the fetal position. That helps a lot! When I start feeling tense and having jaw pain, I know something is off and I need to relax and figure out what's bothering me.

When I processed my trauma, the pain and tight muscle clenching got better.

 

[Gs172003]

TMJ can lead to earaches and also cause pain in the sinuses by the cheekbones and forehead, according to th...

Yeah I.have tmj too. My mom would get mad at me over the clicking in my jaw :/

 

[hodge]

So sorry you had to deal with your mom's insensitivity, @Zoogal. Like you chose to do that. Jeez.

 

[Eagle3]

OMG, yes, I'm always tight. Massage therapists have told me I need 2-3 appts. a week for about 6 months just to make any progress. Every muscle in my body is constantly clenched, to the point of damage now. It has always been this way for as long as I can remember. Like @SophiaWisdom said, being an athlete with a body that's too tight to do the job causes all kinds of problems, and I've actually had to alter my approach to martial arts because of the level of strain, tension, joint damage, and use of the wrong muscles. Sad thing is, no doctor believes me because I still have "normal" range of motion, even though I know how much my ROM has deteriorated, and I'm used to pushing through the pain. I hate this part of PTSD...the only way to feel better is to have access to doctors and therapists, and I just don't have that right now.