A good one

About four years ago, maybe only three, I can't remember exactly..  I found out there was a physical therapist in town that wrote a book on TMJ..  I'm always thinking about advertising myself, so I decided to give him a call and offer my services to him and his patients.  After all, over the years Ive been able to help quite a few people suffering that problem. Not cure them, but have successfully down graded their suffering. I use to put latex gloves on and actually work in the mouth.I did that 25 years ago..  So anyway I called this guy, introduced  myself, and offered him my help for his patients.. He told me in a rather abrupt way that massage can't help TMJ..  I said yes it can.. That I have been a massage therapist for 25 years, and that has been my experience... He said massage can't help.    Im a medically trained physical therapist and I wrote the book on TMJ.   You're lying,  don't bother me.  And hung up... My goodness I was pissed for a while...but whatever, and got over it quickly.  Anyway I recently had a new client in for an 80 minute massage that had just left his office after getting treatment for her TMJ..  She had been suffering for weeks with a very bad headache and tremendous jaw pain and went to his office for help.. And Im sure he helped her.  She commented that he worked on her jaw and now her teeth touch and bite matches.. But she still has her migraine headache... She didn't want me to actually work on her jaw because it was still tender from the physical therapy work and just wanted a massage to see if it can help her headache..I didn't want to mess up her jaw, throw it out of alinement anyway.....So avoiding her jaw directly I began doing some good cervical and cranial work.. With that I was able to ease her headache a little bit... Then I decided to have her turn over and give her some good back work along with checking for trigger points in the upper back and shoulders that are often associated with headaches and TMJ.. I did find a big trigger point in one of her upper traps that I was able to eliminate..  But also I knew that often times people suffering with bad TMJ and headaches had sacrum, hip, or pelvic pain.( Sacral Occipital Technique). I asked her if her hips hurt.. she said no.. But on palpation we found out that both hips were nocioceptive(very sore)  on both sides of her sacrum...I was able to dramatically down grade that pain utilizing a version of Muscle Energy Technique.  Then I moved down to her feet and gave her a good foot rub..That always seems to have a global effect on pain anywhere in the body...Besides that I had an 80 min. massage to time things out with... After the feet I again had her turn over and again did some good neck and cranial work.. But this time I had her put her tongue between her teeth while I applied a steady pressure to the muscles under her jaw.. I held that pressure for about 30 seconds, then had her relax... I asked her how her headache was...She said it was much reduced now....the brain will down grade any  tension it can in those muscles that could possibly bite the tongue off..(almost half the head).  I use that technique for every headache person....Anyway, I also knew that people suffering from headaches or TMJ often have Iliocecal valve sorness....A sore area in the lower right abbs.   Sure enough she was very tender in that area...I was able to eliminate  that with some abb work.... Then I returned and finished the massage with some scalp work....After the massage her headache was gone.. She was happy and smiling...  She told me she is going to tell her physical therapist about me.. and that he should send me lots of patients....lol     Anyway..I thought that was a good story... lol