Clinical Massage for TMJ Dysfunction

Clinical Massage for TMJ Dysfunction

with Christopher Fritel

March 4-5, 2017

Sat & Sun - 9am to 4pm

12 CE’s - $250** 

**10% discount for TLC students/grads**

Workshop Description:


Tension in the temporomandibular joint is, along with low back pain, one of the most common complaints. It will more or less affect every one of your clients. Whether their jaw tension is related to trauma, misalignment, or life stress, it is important that every therapist have the understanding and tools to successfully resolve TMJ dysfunction. This workshop will give you important new techniques and a much deeper skillset to assess and treat TMJ dysfunction.

The goal of this workshop is to familiarize ourselves with the information and skills required to recognize, assess, and safely treat TMJ dysfunction.

Techniques will focus on:

  • Reducing pain
  • Decreasing sympathetic nervous system firing
  • Restoring and maintaining drainage and venous return
  • Reducing fascial restrictions and adhesions
  • Reducing hypertonicity and trigger points
  • Mobilizing hypomobile joints and restore range of motion
  • Restoring proprioception
  • Stretching short muscles

Three components must be present for TMJ dysfunction to occur:

  • Predisposition refers to genectic development or trauma to the neck, face, or jaw that make TMJ disfunction possible.
  • Tissue alteration of skeletal, dental, and neuromuscular structures can result in malocclusion(abnormal coming together of the jaw), misalignment of cranial bones, and trigger points among other symptoms.
  • Stress that is significant enough to result in jaw clenching, bruxism (grinding), or habits such as gum chewing can lead to increased muscle tone in the muscles of mastication.

About the Instructor:

11.01.FacultyHeadshotChristopher


Christopher Fritel completed his massage training at TLC in 2001 and since has dedicated himself to the sharing the message of massage with numerous Lauterstein-Conway students and in his private practice ever since.  He has been a core faculty member and curriculum innovator for 15 years. He previously attended the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City, worked in Mali, West Africa with the Peace Corps, and hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2006. His private practice in massage and bodywork includes especially Craniosacral Therapy and he also incorporates elements, as individually needed, from past trainings in Zero Balancing, Deep Massage, Sports Massage, Orthopedic Massage, Deep Tissue and Psychology of Bodywork.