Clients will often speak in terms of front and back pain, but very rarely do I hear people talk about the 3D aspect of the body where all plains are taken into account. Today we are going to be looking at the front and back of the head and how they can effect stress and pain in the face.
The next blog we are looking at the sides of the face.
The first muscle today that we are going to get to know is tiny, but can cause direct pain in the centre of the forehead. It's time to meet your Procerus.
Procerus is the muscle that brings the skin down the nose and helps to join the eyebrows together. It's the classic scowler! Procerus is known to many Skin Care Therapists as it is the little muscle between the eyebrows where a lot of our clients worry about deep lines, tension, and facial pain. Massage is often advised around the bridge of the nose, the area between the eyebrows and the forehead to release this muscle. It works together with a couple of others; Corrugator Supercilii and Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi, which sound funky, but are really very small and tissue paper thin found in your eyebrows and by your nose.
The irony about facial pain is it is commonly caused by other pain which causes us to wince and scowl. It's very natural to do so when something in the body or mind hurt as we are fighting something that is within us and unseen by others. We are attacking an invader and so our face shows that we are upset about the war we are waging and cross at the fact that we have to do it in the first place. This is the fact that lies behind the reason that people in chronic pain, (whether it be brought on through braking bones, tissue based problems, a bad marriage or a tough time at work) often look cross. In fact, often they are not cross at most of life or the people that they interact with at all, they are simply concentrating on getting through their day as best they can.
Next up is Occipitofrontalis which is actually four bits of muscle tissue that are connected through the Galea Aponeurotica which is a band of fascia. So, lets break that down a bit.
Frontalis is on your forehead and when you scowl or crease your forehead up, this beauty contracts and creates the horizontal lines that are common enough to see on any commuter train on a Monday morning! It has a close relationship to the Procerus and the other muscles around there, so they are linked often in the facial pain they create. There are two bellies to the muscle, one each side of the forehead, and they not only help us scowl, but they also bring the eyebrows up in a look of surprise. If you want to use just one, then try bring one eyebrow up as if you are trying to look like Spock!
The Occipitalis are two muscle bellies at both sides of the back of the scull, being connected with Frontalis through the facial band of the Galea Aponeurotica. If you simply run your hands from the eyebrows, over the head and stop at the bump at the base of your head you are traveling the railroad tracks that create the Occipitofrontalis.
Personally I find that I have a near permanent crease between my eyebrows and it got really bad last year. I wasn't in pain, I was studying a lot and my concentration levels where quite high. I found that I was creasing up and getting pain in the back of my head (also posture related) and headaches in to my face. One thing that helped to shift it was massage! I did it every evening when I did my night time skin care routine and it did help ease it enough to help me get to sleep.
This next tip comes form Jacqueline, my Mum, who told me that when she feels her forehead crease this helps to allow the whole face to relax, release and revive:
- Lie down so that you are comfortable and allow the whole body to settle. Take a minute or so to stop fidgeting, itching, checking the time etc. Just lie down ... chill out.
- Now start to breath steadily, but a bit deeper than normal so that you are using your whole lung, rather than panic breathing your life away!
- Now think about where your facial pain is. Name it either out load or in your head.
- Very gently and slowly start to let the jaw relax and release, let the tension slide away, feel each facial muscle let go of its tension. Tension is not needed and not wanted, so get rid of it!
- After a few minutes, maybe around five or ten, allow yourself to think about the pain that you named at the beginning and see if it is less intense.
- Here is the gem; allow your muscles to lift your face up slowly into a smile!
- Enjoy the feeling of your face and thoughts being up and positive, rather than tense and creased.
I hope you enjoy some chill out time and that your facial pain eases up. Join me next time as we delve into the muscles around the eyes and cheeks.
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