It was a striking moment that unsurprisingly went viral: the singer LeAnn Rimes receiving “jaw release therapy” and then being overcome with emotion. The treatment, which involves massage and stretching from inside the mouth to release muscle tension, is used to treat neck and jaw pain, teeth grinding and headaches.
But as well as providing physical relief, it often also triggers significant emotional relief. This certainly seemed to be the case for Rimes, who was filmed sobbing with apparent elation during a session with Garry Lineham, co-founder of Human Garage. The California organisation focuses on fascial manoeuvres — small movements that target the connective tissue surrounding muscles, bones and joints.
Jaw release therapy involves massage from inside the mouth
“Jaw release is a simple, hands-on fascial technique that focuses on decompressing the tissues inside the mouth, particularly behind the molars where a significant amount of tension accumulates,” says Lineham, commenting after Rimes’s treatment did the rounds on social media. But why did it trigger an emotional outpouring — and does the therapy really offer “trauma release”?
“On a nervous system level, it can rapidly shift someone out of a stress response,” says Lineham. “Emotionally, it is not uncommon for people to experience a release of stored feelings, sometimes without a clear story attached. From our point of view, this is the body discharging accumulated stress rather than processing it cognitively.”
You are not just working on a muscle, you are shifting a global stress pattern
We’ve all heard that the body keeps the score, bearing the physical brunt of psychological issues. Anyone with a stiff jaw or a teeth-grinding issue will know that symptoms can become worse during periods of stress or upheaval. According to Lineham, the jaw is closely tied to survival patterns, so clenching and bracing are one of the first signs of a body under pressure.
“Over time, that tension becomes normalised and largely unconscious,” he says. “When you release the jaw, you are interrupting a deeply ingrained protective pattern in the nervous system. That is why the response can feel immediate and significant. You are not just working on a muscle, you are shifting a global stress pattern in the body.”
In the video, Rimes certainly looks as if something significant has shifted, but she also looks to be in a certain amount of pain. Does jaw release therapy hurt? “It can certainly be simultaneously quite uncomfortable in the moment as well as enjoyable, hence the videos that show people expressing cathartic outcries of emotion and feeling,” says Dr Ali Nasser at Ten Dental.
“If someone has acute short-term or more chronic tightness in the muscles of the lower face or jaw joint, this release is like a massage that can be painful when lots of lactic acid build-up and soreness is worked on.” Think of it as a deep-tissue massage for a specific, often neglected area.
“It can feel intense, but not harmful,” says Lineham. “The sensation varies depending on how much stored tension is present. For some it is mildly uncomfortable, for others it can be quite deep, especially if the body has been holding stress for a long time. The key distinction is that the body recognises it as a release, not as damage.”
As for the risks, Nasser urges caution. “It should ideally be done by a practitioner who has clinical knowledge and a sound understanding of head and neck anatomy,” he says. “It is not something I typically advise people to try unless they have severe acute or chronic myofascial pains. Other treatments may be more effective and your dentist can help advise on these.” As with any health treatment, it pays to do your research, unless you happen to live near Lineham’s California clinic.
