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Fizyoterapist Aydın AliFizyoterapi & Rehabilitasyon
Pain and Quality of Life

Could Your Jaw Pain Actually Be Coming from Your Neck?

Fizyoterapist Aydın Ali · 12 July 2026 · 1 min read

Baş, boyun ve çene bölgesine uygulanan manuel terapi

The jaw joint and the upper neck vertebrae share the same nerve network. When one tightens up, the other feels it too.

Some clients who come in with jaw pain, locking and headache around the temple go to a dentist first, without considering that the problem could be related to the neck.

A shared nerve network

The muscles that work the jaw joint (TMJ) and the nerves supplying the upper neck vertebrae (the atlas region) overlap. Tension building up in the neck can be felt in the jaw, and the reverse is also true.

The role of desk work

Prolonged forward-leaning screen use builds tension in the muscles around both the neck and the jaw; a teeth-clenching habit reinforces the picture.

What physiotherapy adds

Assessing — and, where needed, treating — the upper neck region alongside jaw-muscle relaxation techniques is an approach that complements dental treatment.

Fzt. Aydın Ali assesses your jaw pain together with the neck region in Bursa Nilüfer. You can book an appointment.

Other articles

Related treatments

  • TMJ & Atlas Therapy

    Manual therapy for jaw pain, clicking and locking, with the upper neck assessed as part of the same picture.

  • Manual Therapy

    Hands-on techniques applied to joints and soft tissue, combined with exercise for a result that lasts.

  • Stiff Neck

    For a neck that suddenly locks: fast relief in the acute phase, then work aimed at preventing recurrence.