I Have Had Tension In My Left Luck Muscle For

Brief Answer:
Not uncommon for jaw tension to translate into headache

Detailed Answer:
If you have tension in a NECK muscle. Because of the connections that are both direct and indirect to the jaw you may actually feel some type of tightness or soreness in the jaw on that side. Then, as the NECK muscle fatigues or gets tired the weight of the head itself can begin to become "dead weight" that needs to be held up and/or turned about or stabilized by that neck muscle and this could eventually transmit a lot of extra force to the TEMPORALIS muscle that attaches to the mandibular condyle which is connected to the jaw. As this muscle then, gets tired and fatigue because of the extra work it is being called upon to perform there could possibly be unconscious clenching of the jaw and this can then, result in a HEADACHE on the same side as the neck muscle that feels tight.

I don't know if this neck tension you refer to is something that is transient and likely to go away once you've had some rest or perhaps a light massage to get it to release whatever tension it may have...but if the neck muscle is tight due to DYSTONIA (altered tone in a muscle) which could acquired or genetic in origin then, you may need to have the neck muscle examined by a neurologist or even physical therapist to determine whether or not the tightness is as a result of trauma, a strained or sprained muscle, or some type of metabolic dysfunction, or perhaps even as the result of a medication side effect.

Treatment and relief from the headache would obviously be most effective if the origin of the pain (i.e. the tight neck muscle) could be tracked down. If it does turn out to be a muscle that has been injured, overused, or overexerted recently then, perhaps something as simple as an antispasmodic medication such as baclofen or flexeril given in a small dose would do the trick. If the muscle is actually DYSTONIC due to an acquired MUSCLE TONE INCREASE due to genetics or some environmental trigger then, again the ORIGIN of what may be causing that increased tone to occur is what needs to be looked for. Sometimes it could be a BRAIN based sort of problem while other times it may simply be at the level of the involved muscle. In either case, if the muscle is just continuously tight, spastic, or sore with evidence of excessive turning or pressure on the head then, injections of BOTOX may do the trick to release the neck muscle tension which will then, relieve the headache.

I would try simple things first in this case by applying a WARM COMPRESS on the affected neck muscle. I think this is a good choice at this time since my guess from the way you've presented things is that it's already been at least 24-48 hrs. since starting to have all this tension and headache so the period of time to use COLD temperatures over the muscle is gone. Now, we want to try and facilitate blood flow to the area so that any HEALING that needs to take place can go forward with more oxygen coming to the site and so forth. I would also recommend a LIGHT massage of that muscle by someone who is familiar for relaxing neck muscles with massotherapy.

There would be no harm in taking small doses of TYLENOL or even Aspirin but if the neck muscle is the progenitor of the problem then, the use of these agents is not going to do much for relieving what's causing the neck muscle to be tight and that should definitely be addressed as the most important way of relieving the headache.

Other causes of headaches with neck muscle or jaw discomfort could also be related to DENTAL HYGIENE. If you've got a PERFECT SET OF PEARLY WHITES....then, forget I mentioned this.....but if your teeth haven't been checked, cleaned, or you know them to be LESS than in optimal shape then, you may be surprised to see how quickly your neck tightness and headache go away when the dentist takes an x-ray or 2 of the mouth, cleans out whatever needs to be cleaned and counsels you on how to keep a nice set of teeth until you reach 150 years! LOL....

And so, if I've provided useful or helpful information to your question could you do me the utmost of favors in not forgetting to CLOSE THE QUERY along with a few POSITIVE words of feedback and maybe even a 5 STAR rating if you feel it is deserving? I am definitely interested in getting updated information on how things are going in the next few weeks if you'd drop me a line at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi

You can always reach me at that address for this or other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope this information does help you.

Cheers!

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