The real bridge between stress and chronic pain | Chronic clenching
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- I wrote an article back in 2017 called "Are you a chronic muscle clencher? Woe to you!". And, although it may be the least appreciated piece on my website, it is probably the most important one.
Back in 2015 or 2016, I noticed what seemed to be an obvious connection between very high-strung patients and their propensity to having lots and lots of MSK problems, regardless of being seemingly young and healthy. I've had this notion confirmed numerous times since then, and am at this point convinced that chronic "clenching" is the most common cause of non-traumagenic (ie. non physical injury induced) cause of chronic pain. Especially common sequelae are thoracic outlet syndrome, lumbosacral plexus entrapment syndrome, migraines, tinnitus, dizziness, and fatigue.
Lots and lots of patients, indeed it is an epidemic, continuously "tense up" to get through their days. Most of these patiets are anxiety sufferers, but it can also occur secondary to obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, and similar problems. Some patients are just "high strung" even if they don't have anxiety.
Regardless of the underlying cause, abolishing this dreadfully bad habit is paramount when treating non-traumagenic incidences of chronic pain. If you think you may be suffering from this, then identifying its presence and starting to work on it may be one of the most important things you will do for your musculoskeletal health in your life.
This guy should win a noble prize, he is a true genius. It’s very tough to break this clenching and bracing vicious cycle, I stop myself for a few minutes then next thing you know I am clenching all over my body again, biting my tongue, tensed neck, abdomen, glutes, exactly how he described, it’s horrible, but there is hope, will keep pushing at it.
Most likely, it comes from where he was born and the philosophy of health and disease. Most people from other countries view the body more holistically than doctors do in America.
Can you update us?
He is indeed a visionary
@@MI-qj6xr whenever I clench or brace my body I get bad symptoms especially neck and stomach, whenever I relax those areas by deep breathing and stuff and consciously trying to avoid clenching, the symptoms are gone by 80%. But it’s very very tough to break this habit since I believe I have been bracing my whole body (global clenching or bracing) for over 5 years, so might take months or a year to naturally stop this.
I've been suffering from this for 3 years and they were the worst and most painful years of my life. Granted, it was a domino effect of other things at first, but it led to extreme clenching and PTSD. The pain and existential fear was debilitating. It was only recently did I figure this out and started to improve my posture, breathing, and mental health. It's really frustrating how overlooked this is in society and even by many doctors. If I didn't research my own symptoms and find videos like this, I don't even want to think about how things may have went.
The thing is, anxiety works in a feedback cycle: the stress leads to clenching, clenching leads to physical symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath, high blood pressure and pulse), which in turn keep your anxiety going. People are getting in their head about being very ill because of the severe symptoms, leading to more anxiety. You need to break the cycle to feel better.
From my experience, there is two positions at which you can interrupt the cycle: In your mind and in your body. Intervening at the physical level has proven to be way easier for me, and it is exactly what you talked about in this video. Unfortunately, not a lot of doctors will even lay out that option. If you are looking for a very structured approach, try Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais.
Intervening on the level of the mind can be way harder and the reduction of physical symptoms will typically take longer. However, for long-term healing, I think it's absolutely required to find ways to calm the mind and build self-awareness. Practicing meditation on a daily basis can work wonders.
You said everything perfectly. Everything I’ve researched over the last two years for tinnitus and other issues says the same. Trigger Point Therapy is another self healing technique.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this:
One major thing I've learned from your work is that exercises don't help proper posture, only habits can. In other words, assume a proper position and stay there. However, for some people with weaknesses, proper position is not natural and it requires effort from the muscles. What are your thoughts on the line between clenching and holding proper posture?
Glad to have found your channel and gotten some real help as well as validation. Squeezing and bracing was a coping mechanism from a traumatic childhood. I would say from my right jaw all the way down to my right ankle I have/had tons of facial adhesions and muscles that wouldnt activate. It got so bad it felt like my entire side was stuck being tense. After getting injuries from a bad car wreck I started toward a healing mindset. But a few years later life was worse than ever in terms of chronic pain and fatigue. None of the 4 times I went through PT helped. Never was able to deal with the stress level being maxed until I found a med that helped me calm down bit by bit each day. I was never able to see how different life could be when calm. Thanks to your channel and others about posture and breaking up fascia im healing way beyond anything i ever expected.
Love your reply. We never realize how damaged we truly are from childhood. My situation is kind of similar. I never knew I was a ‘clencher’ till recently. And childhood trauma. (Aren’t we all from dysfunctional families?) A lot of us, like me, just ‘cope’ or function normally holding down jobs, etc. as my husband pointed out. Sounds like your ‘accident’ was a godsend. I’m wondering what the name of the med was that helped you. I don’t do meds but I’m curious.
Kjetil was mentioned in a comment on another video on tinnitus. I’m so glad I was led to him. He’s a true pioneer.
Dr. Gabor Mate has several videos you may want to check out on childhood trauma and illness and how to release pain in the body.
Here’s to healing!
Where is you pain I've had pain everyday main years and no it's the fascia very hard great news
@@Truerealism747 someone who commented from another video on how to heal tinnitus told me all about the muscles and esp fascia and how it holds onto trauma which stays in our bodies which then creates illnesses and that trigger point therapy using balls helps release it. I use a ball set from Posture Magic from Amazon every time I do yoga which is most days. When I first lay on these balls on different parts of my legs and back I was surprised at how much pain there was in my muscles. I had no idea rolling a ball over them could reveal so much about how tightly wound my body was.
@@melodyebuskin5490 ime doing Ng this two now yes has this cured your pain alit I've only just started it brilliant
What medication helped you?
The amount of people who clench without knowing it must be extremely high. I think there’s a book that touches on this called ‘the body keeps the score’.
Thanks for the video and for educating us!
I’ve read it. Great book!
Some of the absolute best tried and verified information on the entire internet. Thank you for all your posts!
This makes sense. Even when I think about my own experience. I used to be a chubby kid and as a result of body image issues (dismorphia)I used to always tense my midsection, and pecs. I dislike the soft jiggly feeling the relaxed muscles& fat have.
The habit didn’t go away (now 23) and now I realize I’ve been clenching. I notice that sometimes my neck is clenched and I’m not breathing relaxed.
Since I read you’re articles iv become aware of this and I feel better already !
I just came from your 2017 video, and anecdotally I can say I have ADHD and Aspergers that wasn't diagnosed until my adult years, combined with a host of comorbidities resulting from trying to lead a "normal" life. Physically I'm fairly strong, and I've been able to (almost) just force my body into doing what I wanted.
But I recently turned 40, and that no longer works. Had a couple of episodes, and I've had trouble walking normally for a couple of years now, despite being able to lift squat and DL fairly heavily. Completely unable to relax even when sitting or lying down.
I'm lucky, all considered. I have a host of neuromuscular issues, with almost scoliosis-like symptoms, but it's all fairly easily treatable with functional training and awareness/neuromuscular re-education. Thank you for raising awareness about this.
Sure I have Asperger's pain symptoms in the fascia very hard
Thank you for this!
Other overlooked causes of tension, nerve pain, stress, anxiety, musculoskeletal issues, TMJ, intracranial pressure etc.. is hidden blood infections like Bartonella, Babesia, Mycoplasma, Lyme etc.. Which often get misdiagnosed as 'psychological' issues.
These can stay 'dormant' in the body for a long time if the immune system keeps them in check, but a time of great stress can compromise the immune system and allow those infections to dominate and bring on a host of unexplained symptoms.
Chicken or the egg
Had an Intersting thought while sitting here drinking some coffee. It’s interesting since caffeine induces a stress response that causes this tension and thus a lot of issues, however caffeine also lowers ICP by about 30% and stimulates nerves, immune system... it’s a paradox hahaha
I'm so glad I've started seeing your videos again. Your articles/videos really helped me a lot with my TOS. I definitely have significant breathing dysfunction and jaw clenching and this I think leads to shortened scalene, elevated rib etc etc. No mystical relationship, direct cause and effect. Also started having chronic low back/sacrum pain when I was 19 (35 now.... Slowly improving TOS with physio).
I would also say that people should check sleeping posture. I think fetus sleeping position is high indication of clenching a lot of muscles. It will be hard to get improvements if you stuck a lot of time in this position. I would suggest learning progressive muscle relaxation techniques. I'm still struggle to relax some neck muscles, but technique is definitely helpful.
It makes sense. I recently watched a QI Gong master explain different sleeping positions. Side fetal should involve three pillows! I’m trying them now. If I can find the link I’ll add it.
Do you find some of your patients' clenching habits become worse if they over-train, clenching to maintain good posture through the day as opposed to resting enough until they can maintain adequate posture without clenching?
Yes, for sure. Also poor sleep, poor diet, etc.
Brilliant! Thanks for this video. I do believe stress levels are high in today’s society and we do tend to clench/tighten our muscles throughout the day, day in and day out, and we aren’t aware of this until we start feeling muscle pain, headaches, and fatigue/weakness….this, in turn causes poor sleep, worsening our symptoms….add poor posture to the equation, and the nerves along the spine can create all kinds of negative symptoms, which may lead to more muscle tension causing myofascial pain and weak/shortened muscles,along with many other parasympathetic nervous symptom issues.
It’s a vicious circle until one becomes aware of it through videos like Kjetil’s. I’m so glad he’s out there.
I know so many women who their whole life have sucked in their stomach to make it look flatter. For decades. This has to create all kinds of tension in the core, including the diaphragm. (Not supposed to show you're breathing in your belly or your belly looks "fat." Gah!
Yep! Never thought of it as clenching till I came here.
I've been called out!
This is very important matter of fact for anyone with stress and anxiety physical reactions become subconscious habits and is seen as normal , and the mind's eye becomes blind the body and that's bad news . I've spent the last 3 year's reconnecting to my body getting more energy now .
Been having head pain for years and i believe it started out as mentally believing it for so long and also cleanching stress
Excellent information. Just last night I was thinking "when will Kjetil make an updated clenching video?" This is absurd timing. Also, sound quality is much better in this video. Question: Is it useful to palpate the scalene area as well while we check ourselves for clenching if we know we have a problem with breath holding? Keep up the spread of knowledge 🤘and thank you
Scalene bracing = breath holding
@@MSKNeurology If the scalenes are in fatty degenerated state now what do we do?
@@Stoffendous depends on several things, but surgery as a last resort
Do you think light/moderate training can be done whilst working on getting rid of the chronic clenching habit?
Bodybuilding style, "feeling" the muscle work. Avoid deadlifts and similar exercises that encourage bracing.
omg you are so right! I have known this instinctively that my chronic clenching (not just jaw but whole body) was causing most of my pain. Probably most of my life. Not to mention all sorts of other issues. Oh, and breath-holding, so much, lol! I have had mental stress most of my life. I have been searching for body clenching and have found nothing until you. Thank you!
I'm never quite ready to hear what you have to say because it's so hard to accept. Such valuable information
The deep thinking you should go through to reach this conclusion without experiencing it urself is mind boggling. I’ve recently reached this conclusion after having neck , jaw and shoulder issues and i’ve been doing it for years especially when im high. Also i found another video that you are talking about neck retraction like the chin tucks and i can assure you that you are right. The world needs more people like you
Thank you sir !
I've also come to this conclusion and I have a hunch that this is also causal for dementia/Alzheimer's AND hair greying (if your hair has turned grey recently I encourage you to do intense massage of your scalp where the gray hair is coming from, In my case I can feel these areas and my gray hair is starting be reduced after about a month of this).
The question is what is the body bracing against?
Couldn’t existing physical pain, or propreaceptive dysfunction be the cause? Perhaps the patient is masking or even wholly unaware of?
In your initial example, perhaps it was a concert of effect, primarily caused by a new sleep habit? The recent divorce surely creates a scenario where their head position and weight distribution were drastically impacted?
Perhaps a new pillow, new position or a new bed all together (mixed with the impact of a diminished healing response from an overwhelmed down regulation cycle created by the high stress experience)?
How much extra labor did her body have to endure in doing things alone that it may not have been used to? Simple things that we take for granted. Lifting, pushing, pulling, opening, closing… did she move? Did she lose the couch that she used to sit on? Sooo many vectors for change in a scenario like that.
In another direction, what is the relationship to things like torticollis seen in newborns? How does that continue to express itself in a body over time?
In this same way; could it be that people with mild to moderate deep muscle dysfunction can display as “high strung” with “bad posture”, and are unaware of, or potentially unable to overcome their symptoms until their body collapses into dysfunction?
I am of the mind that the unconscious action of the protective response, you refer to as bracing, are a mechanism that allows people to stay functional. That is until it becomes unsustainable and then they are often unable to heal due to these habits that previously allowed function.
I think that the initial treatment that you speak to is the same but the conceptualization of root cause, is not.
This could change early intervention practices if things that are seen by practitioners as weak willed and bad practice are instead classified as possible symptoms.
I love the service this channel provides.
Thank you for your time and willingness to share!
Wow! You said so many things I was thinking esp ‘bracing allows ppl to be able to stay functional’. I believe this is my life story. My husband noticed this when I retired as illnesses started showing up that I’d never had before.
I have intense pudendal nerve pain, as well as piriformis, lumbar and hip pain. I have so much nerve pain everywhere and it is daily. This started 3 1/2 years ago following about 4 years of back to back PTSD inducing events. I never had time to recover before the next event or death would happen. I tried multiple pelvic PT, have had multiple surgeries and procedures, do daily meditation, nothing ever helped. Except meditation because it keeps me from having panic attacks. I have thought now for the past few years that this was stress induced but have been unable to stop it, i am now aware that my body is bracing but I have such a high amount of life stress still that I just feel stuck. I've been seeing a psychologist for a while now but here I am still bracing, and still in daily pain from pudendal neuralgia and sciatic like symptoms. I'm going to try this method and hope that I'm not going to end up being one of the 10%. I used to be a long distance runner now its all I can do to walk my dog around the block. Thank you for acknowledging the impact that this can have on your body. I wish I had seen your videos years ago. I am going to work on strengthening my weak core and check in with my body throughout the day to check for bracing. Hoping I'll finally be in a much better place by next year
UPDATE: 11/29/23 I had Radiologists re-review my MRI's and they missed seeing a laterally herniated T-12 with mass effect seen on the nerve roots there. I'm in process of scheduling a block with steroids. I don't think this is clenching, I think in my case it's like thoracolumbar syndrome essentially.
TMS Dr Sarno these tight muscles and fascia do they come back as we're before do you see
Kjetil, with respect to clenching, you recommend a moderate bodybuilding routine without valsalva. How should this be approached in a patient also with LPES or TOS who is more prone to symptom aggravation in the gym?
Great videos lately, thanks a lot.
I like your idea of touching to connect with one’s body tension. I also use self massage and trigger point balls for myofascial release.
After a lot of chronic pain for years I reached this conclusion on my own quite recently and now I use this knowledge to release pain almost daily. Works wonders. Thank you for explaining it so well! And also for talking about psychosomatic pain, it being all in your head. Have heard it so often too. Hardly helps my pain go away! 😅. Thanks again 😊
Exactly, and good job mate. An important point made here is that the patients, when finally understanding that - although psychogenic - is suffering from a problem that has specific treatment strategies, if they can admit it to themselves (this is hard for a lot of people, especially if they have already been told by a lo of physicians that they "just have anxiety" (which is a half-truth)), can commit to specific treatment approaches and get better! Just being told to relax and go for a walk in the forest is not going to fix this.
@@MSKNeurology yes indeed! Thank you 🙏
@@kudra29 sycosomatic isn't hysteria people get mixed up with this it creates real tension in the body after all most heart attacks are sycosomatic
I know why this dysfunctional habit came to be. I developed anxiety and clenched to try to avoid the feeling and carry on with life then it became a habit for everything now. I wake up so clenched that it is scary. Doctors and therapist don't even understand and I feel like it keeps me from being able to work a normal job.
What are your thoughts on Stress induced tinnitus?
He talks about it in another video on neck issues. Stress tightens neck/shoulder muscles which compromise the vagus nerve and T can be a result.
Thanks for the video! I have problems with my neck on the right side. I get some pain up towards my right ear that radiates, my right clavicle is swollen and i have a muscle knot high behind my scapula that just won't quit. And the most crucial thing is that I have an almost constant sickness/fatigue feeling. I have long thought that it was my SCM and the scalens that was the problem and have been working on strengthening and good posture. This have had some effect but it's like it won't get better past a certain point. Lately I have thought much about bracing in the jaw, and I'm pretty sure I am doing it. Then I did some research on the omohyoid muscle and the digastric muscle. What is your thoughts on these muscles and bracing? I mean since the omohyoid interaction with the SCM and can affect the clavicle it seems pretty spot on, and the digastric muscle connects close to the ear and might be responsible for some of the radiation pain?
Also the omohyoid connects to the scapula, so I thought it might cause the muscle knot?
So this is one of the BEST and most accurate explanations for chronic pain on the internet however I've found this very difficult in my particular case. I was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and also suspect autism spectrum disorder. My body is in a constant state of bracing in part as a result of my muscles trying to stabilize my loose joints and as a stress response to my constant overstimulation due to sensory issues (hence the autism). I pretty much only feel good when I'm in an environment where I don't have to be static, can spend my day outside, and avoid any sensory overload or stressful situations because light, sounds, odors, and fabrics all exhaust me and cause me to brace. I haven't found any way of preventing this other than avoiding those situations entirely but it's nearly impossible in our modern world. I feel generally better when I implement grounding habits like breathwork, meditation, etc but they don't help me brace less when I experience stress. I'm super aware of my bracing and it's worst when I have to socialize, even though I'm great at socializing, it takes a lot of energy and brain power for me to "act neurotypical". And with EDS, I get pain trying to hold a position for any extended period of time which is also impossible to avoid. It just feels like the world is not built for people like me.
Wow I can relate to this so much. The world is not made for us and its hard to relate this to other people. Have you tried Frequency Specific Microcurrent? Trying it next week, I'm hoping it will help
Me to just diagnosed had unsure if eds where us your main pain had so much ime told it's TMS by Dr schubiner hypomobility means we deal more pain larger amalgamia in the brain constant pain showers armpits ime taking dedicated thyroid as mine us low normal
@@pistolpete7258 how does this work
Great work man, you are spot on. For me it was breath holding and overall tension. Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine / stimulants can also cause you to be tense.
Definitely biochemical factors to be considered as well, yes. Stimulants, hormones, etc.
Thank you for the video, it really does put things into perspective!
Sounds exactly like me, dealing with TOS for the past 3 years TMJD, and trigeminal neuralgia. I can't express how grateful I am for your videos🙏🙏🙏
Same as me I had tmj years ago any hypomobility any chance
Great video Kjetil. I like how u have a nuanced viewpoint of this. Which imo is exactly what resonates with most of ur patients i think. Just curious though, have u seen highly competitive, could be anything, corporate jobs and such, have these kinds of problems? I have a few coder/office worker friends who i think have been misdiagnosed with other issues when in reality it seems like TOS from being highly competitive at work. All of these people show carpal tunnel/ cubital tunnel symptoms and have forward neck posture too
Wow! The modern scourge!
I've been seeing a physio for a while now to treat numbness and shooting pains in my thighs. Treatment so far either did nothing or made it worse. At our last session he mentioned that it could well be stress related and noted my high muscle tone. As someone with anxiety and ADHD I'm discovering just how damaging stress is having an affect on my body.
If back MRI is normal, consider LPES or PFPS (pectineo-femoral pinch syndrome). LPES is usually stress related, but PFPS can be either stress- or hip arthritis induced. With your history of ADHD, and especially if you are young, then stress and clenching is the most likely culprit.
How are you now
Stress wise I'm the same. My body is a bit better though. Not as much shooting pains. My physio stopped doing nerve flossing or stretching out any sore areas. I think my body is too sensitive and it just caused more irritation. Instead we've been trying to do bodyweight exercises but taking it slow and careful. A lot of it I think is trying to give me confidence doing them so I don't tense up. With some modifications I can now do hip thrusts pain free.
@@SheepDogTricks ime the same treatment flare me day so after where is your main pain and what are you diagnosed with? It me doing oxygen therapy going in ldn do you have hypomobility?
@@Truerealism747My thighs L4 dermatome area. Have stenosis and positive lateral femoral tension test. I have bad hip hinge mobility.
Absolutely what I've been experiencing and writing in my journal about over the years. So glad someone is talking about this, going to binge your videos now lol
This makes the most sense of all the explanations I heard about my pain. I could catch my body being soo tense and the moments I became aware of the tension I realized I could have been tense for so long without even noticing it. Makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks for posting!
me too.
Oh wow. I came back to this channel after years of slacking and man, Kjetil changed so much...his voice his appearance :)
Thanks. I am definitly experiencing this problem and I am also having trouble with Anxiety. Trigger Point Therapy did wonders for me resolving symptoms but does not resolve the root cause. I've been trying PMR, Yoga and meditation with some but limited success. Using this kind of reminders is a good idea I will try out!
Can this bracing contribute to costochondritis? I often catch myself with my shoulders shrugged up really high. I feel it has something to do with my chronic costochondritis
Can clenching and this stuff lead to tmd or tmj? I’ve recently gotten jaw clicking and tension after a tongue tie release and boxing fight (jaw injury) so that could be it as well.
Captain obvious
@@MSKNeurology 😂😂😂 I love your sense of humour it’s very much the opposite of American sarcasm
In Australia we are bad, I personally suffered a severe lower leg injury, 3 surgeries ect at age 15.
I clench all the time, I'm 32 I've been in chronic pain for about 6 years now and am treated like an invalid.
It is really horrible that people that have not suffered a severe maiming are having these difficulties.
Truly horrible.
How do you stop from clenching?
Amazing work doc, greetings from argentina. Hope u can make some google meet apoitments
Thankyou so much. Your recommendations actually work!
Love your vids but maybe you could diffuse the background lighting as it’s quite bright. Also, love your shaved head but miss seeing all of you!
Huge video thanks a lot ! And thanks a lot as well for all your other videos that helped me to understand and treat my recent TOS.
I was already doing teeth clenching for few years... I wasn't even realized I was doing it until my dentist told me I was literally fucking my teeth doing so.
I was aware that I was quite stressed and quite anxious as well by nature, but I wasn't thinking those stress would be enough to provocate such big physical symptoms and pathology until I got hit by severe TOS two weeks earlier.
I have now understood that of course I need to work on my bad posture, strenghten scalenes and neck flexors muscles... but that also a huge part was to be able to relax and get off from that stress.This video pointed it clearly and I know now what I have to work on ;) Thanks again for your great work !!!
I had been clenching my right side of my mid back so much that my brain created a fake mid back engaging my ribs and groin. I did have stress, but the main thing was that my partner slept at an angle that forced me to sleep one night inhibiting my right back. It makes sense but at the same time is hard to map out my musculature and let everything go at once. I have gotten pretty good at it but work, driving, and poor posture contribute to this.
I had/ have hypertonic muscles in a couple areas from a pathology that was surgically corrected how ever I had to unlearn the compensatory tension. For example my right gracilous was tense fro several years to compensate for a labral tear of the left hip. Also IT band issues etc. Working on releasing regularly has helped.
What if you clench or hold your breath during sleep? Any ways to check and fix this?
Drug / pscych treatment
Might be sleep apnea too. Get it checked.
this is what I’ve done for years.. I have bruxism/tmj disorder and I’ve always slept with one or more areas clenched. I cannot control it because I do it in my sleep. I clench my teeth, tense my abs, point my toes, keep my chin tucked into my chest, keep my neck held over to one shoulder.. it’s awful. I can’t find anything about this. All I find online is disorders regarding seizures during sleep but what I do is not seizures. It’s actively holding/bracing in one position for hours at a time. It has resulted or at least contributed to chronic pain in hips, ribs, upper back, neck, jaw, and head. pretty sure I hold my breath sometimes in my sleep too.
What an excellent video. Thank you for this invaluable information.
True that
Why do a lot of TOS patients get a lot of pain the day AFTER a workout (even when done with good form and not "back and down") and not during the workout itself? Could it be related to too much clenching during the workout and hence overworking the scalenes? Could it be due to breathing incorrectly?
Pain the subsequent day is common for entrapment neuropathies. Just because you think you have good form doesn't mean you have good form.
@@MSKNeurology I am sure some patients do some very simple exercises with good form, and still flare-up only the next day. Wouldn't this be related to the scalenes slowly getting sore spasming over time, exacerbating TOS?
@@Sylorinnis Why would SCALENES Cause worsening after going to the gym? It is clearly a costoclavicular problem. If you don't want to listen then don't waste my time asking questions.
@@MSKNeurology OK, so it's costoclavicular compression during the workout. Thanks for your invaluable insights as always
Great to hear from you Kjetil. I'm using your SCM videos daily and they are beginning to work wonders. Tricky to lock in but once I get it, I've truly begun noticing a difference in what has been a lifetime of unspotted torticollis.
Bro that’s great to hear !
@@heyitskashmoney Thank you mate, it's been a long, long journey of trial and error but it's getting there at long last. I appreciate the support!
@@Jake-qo3mphow long did you notice to see improvements
Great video yes ime a clenched years ime 42 hope it isn't to late to cure more anxiety ocD from 5
Thank you
Excellent information. Some other things that seem to yield results for mental-related issues are meditation, following a circadian rhythm, going on a carnivore diet(yes, really) and prolonged fasting.
Hysteria us in the brain sycosomatic is tension from brain to body
I completely fucked my scalenes up by playing guitar in a clenched state while holding my breath for hours a day.
Even if I sneeze now I can feel a shaking in them, after which they need to be loosened up.
How can I make them normal again?
guitar has nothing to do with scalenes. Get your shoulders up.
Have you seen patients that have started this protocol and felt an increase of their overall anxiety?
What about stress induced tinnitus?
Yes
He’s right. I’ve been down that rabbit hole.
Thank you! You are a life saver.
To deal with this I stick my tongue to the roof of my mouth and leave it there. It's not a perfect system but I've mitigated my clenching habit by replacing it with the "Shove my jaw open using my tongue," habit.
Sharing this idea with a friend. In yogic meditation putting the tongue at the top of the palate keeps the mind focused and the breath even.
@@melodyebuskin5490 Tonque should be rest on the roof of the mouth I was told by my dentist.
@@pearlkally8325 is this while rested in any position, during the day etc?
@@melodyebuskin5490 yes. The tongue should be rest (when not eating) on the roof of mouth all the time. I was told by my dentist. And I found a tmj doctor on you tube as well. Will send it to you. I need to go home first.
@@pearlkally8325 ok
All physical aliment comes from mental or emotional trauma
Not all
Any thoughts in lower back pumps i have been dealing with these for awhile but its not (bad pain) it happens after squats and deads when i load plates off the bar and it follows through other exercises in that workout or is it just weak as i suspect. Thanks.
weak low back, low electrolyte intake or taking too much anabolic steroids
what is the name of this doctor
I look forward to your videos !🐉
Thank you! Can caffeine addiction (3-5 cups of coffee) be the tiger for muscle tension?
Please make video or article about caffeine and it's relation for muscle tension and breath shortening.
Obsessiveness and individuals with addictions in general are more likely to carry this problem. Coffee in and by itself, doubt it.
Would you recommend any vitamins/minerals/supplements to help with this clenching??
For me I found it was iron and magnesium (B vitamins can be important too). You can't really test your magnesium level because your body is so used to compensating to deficiency, but many people are low in magnesium and that is directly connected to muscles being able to relax. Take a really small dose at first to see how you react.
With iron, you can get tested. For that they do a complete blood panel so they can look for signs of anemia, and I actually had to ask my doctor to check my ferritin (iron storage) which is also important. My ferritin was really low (9 ng/mL), so my tissues were oxygen starved and stressed out even though I was not technically anemic (hemoglobin 12). In the US my lab showed 16-200 ng/mL as normal ferritin level. I took myself to a hematologist who said ferritin should be at least 50 ng/mL. My regular doctor was convinced ferritin didn't matter for health at all, but that's not true.
@@WingsTwoSpirit thanks for this. I’ve known everything you’re saying to be true. I supplement with magnesium glycenate, malate and also use choline citrate to help absorption. That’s interesting with the iron thing tho, typically males have too much iron as we have no means of ridding it like women do. Especially if you’re eating red meat. I know calcium also has a play in muscle tension which most people think you want less, you actually want the balance of mag and calcium, calcium citrate particularly helps with muscle tension.
@@brendanschroeder1862 you're welcome. There's a surprising number of things that can give men iron deficiency, including working out alot. Especially things like distance running or crossfit. But also hemorrhoids, gastritis, intestinal inflammation, too much alcohol, you can even start life with a deficiency if your mom was low on iron when you were born. But it's true, even with that, men won't need the same amount or length of supplementing that women do. After the deficiency is corrected it's easier to keep up with regular iron consumption.
I’ve also read potassium and iodine are important esp for tinnitus.
@@melodyebuskin5490 I wouldn’t supplement with iodine, ever. We only need a small amount of it, and when you get over that amount it immediately creates a hypothyroid state, as well as the potential to mimic stress hormones.
How does one differentiate piriformis pain and nerve pain from LPES? Or perhaps LPES includes BOTH a weak piriformis and psoas? Often I have nerve pain up in the obliques, other times the hips and quads. Sensations of heat, etc. I've been doing psoas strengtheners. Most of nerve pain is anterior, abdomen, groin, quads, adductors. Then other times it feels deep in my glutes which brings me back to a piriformis problems. Both culprits or only referred pain from psoas?
This CAUSES LPES
Piriformis pain and nerve pain have the same cause so it doesn't matter, just rehab the piriforis using my protocol
THANK YOU !
Tack så mycket 🙏🏻
Hi Kjetil, awesome video! I know there is a genuine culture of excessive medication in the US especially, but was wondering what you think of the use of something like muscle relaxants in the treatment of something like TOS? Thanks!
Muscle relaxant won't address a MENTAL problem, they are for other purposes (clenching). Certain anxiolytic and antidepressant medicines can have good effects, but talk with your doctor. Regarding TOS, most drugs don't help. Some few patients may respond to legitimate muscle relaxants such as baclofen or nerve pain meds such as gabapentin, some respond to NSAIDs, but as I said, most TOS and LPES patients respond poorly to drug treatments
@@MSKNeurology Thank you! Makes sense!
I’ve spoken with several tinnitus people from other T videos (Julian Cowan Hill/Liam) and they swore by muscle relaxants. Said it lowered their T significantly. But I agree it’s not a permanent solution. Stretching was always recommended. But then I saw Kjetil’s neck strengthening videos and I found they are working for several ppl who’ve left comments on them. Seems logical as neck laxity in the ligaments from whiplash causes neck tension. Strengthening not stretching.
@@melodyebuskin5490 from a guy suffering with CCI and a lot of symptoms, muscle relaxants turn you into a zombie. It doesn’t do anything for me besides cause more anxiety. There are a lot of natural remedies like cramp bark, Jamaican dogwood, valerian, kava kava... they all work for me greatly. And oh yeh, choline citrate paired with magnesium malate is fricken amazing, but you have to get choline citrate online because it’s so powerful
@@brendanschroeder1862 thanks for those recommendations. I’m also reading about alpha lipoic acid, benfotimine (B1) to help neuropathy, tinnitus, diabetes, bought on by stress and poor diet. So many supps can help more than one thing.
good audio:D
Changed the mic for a condensed mic by RØDE, second to an advice from a viewer who is a music studio technician. Strangely it still sounds shitty in my speakers unless I use the headphones (not as bad as before), but let's see what people say.
@@MSKNeurology if you get a dynamic mic ( which is what they usually use in podcasts) it would pick up less room sound. I guess the go to podcast mic is the shure sm7b
@@MSKNeurology It's because of the echo from the room. The first thing you could do is to cut everything below 120hz. That won't do much though, so the best solution would be to get a mic, like already mentioned.
@@hermannwigers8321 I have a mic attached to my shirt, it is a new condensed mic. The room just has tremendous reverberation. I will try to place it closer to my mouth.
just a little bit processing on this with better mic placement and gain will solve all the problems
Hi Kjetil. Do you consider holding your smartphone for hours every day could be causing chronic clenching through our bodies? Especially the latest large and heavy weighted iPhones. Thank You!
No
Can any of the conditions you describe cause noise in your head?
Intracranial hypertension
The way you explain the effects of stress on the body coincides well with Dr. Gabor Mate's theory that ADHD is just a defence mechanism for stress. When you can't escape a stressful situation (like in a classroom for example) your flight or fight response don't work properly so your brain sort of tunes out. This video reaffirms it even further, to me, that ADHD is not a real illness.
Funny, just referred Mate to a previous commenter!
@@melodyebuskin5490 I've only discovered him recently but his theories makes a lot of sense to me. Way too many people have ADHD for it to be an actual illness.
@@LordGodKing agreed.
So many people have ADHD its insane. I was trying to think why this is the case. Also could be due to the epidemic of long faces and bad facial structure as well as bad tongue posture
Perhaps some of these people are neurodivergent, either diagnosed or undiagnosed adhd or asd, and they learned to suppress their stimming as a child to better fit in. I know when I suppress my stimming (especially the large muscle stims) I get extremely tense. I find less obvious stims like picking at my skin, fussing with a tooth with my tongue, tapping my fingers, etc. - but these things really don’t relieve the tension like rocking your whole body and spinning.