LeAnn Rimes drew attention after a jaw release session left her visibly moved, and that moment has sparked wider interest in what jaw work actually does, why it can produce intense emotional reactions, and what experts caution about before trying it. The piece below walks through the therapy session, what practitioners say it treats, the science behind the tension and hormones involved, and a surgeon’s take on benefits and risks.
Rimes visited Garry Lineham, co-founder of Human Garage in California, for an intra-oral massage meant to ease jaw tension. During the hands-on session the pressure released a lot of built-up tightness, and she had a strong emotional reaction, sobbing as the relief hit. That response has made the clip go viral and pushed jaw release into public conversation.
Jaw release therapy involves massaging or stretching muscles inside and around the mouth to free up tightness in the jaw, face and related tissues. People commonly seek it for TMJ pain, frequent headaches, and annoying jaw clicking, because the technique targets the muscles tying those symptoms together. Practitioners describe it as simple in concept but powerful in effect when tension has become chronic.
Lineham links jaw tension tightly to stress and stored emotion. “We hold emotions in our body,” he said. “Emotions cause a sympathetic response or a stress response in the body.” He argues that chronic stress keeps muscles braced and that letting those muscles relax can trigger a sudden unburdening of both physical and emotional load.
He points out a direct chemical pathway between clenching and the body’s alarm system. “If you clench your jaw and hold it there for three to five minutes … you’ll actually fire adrenaline and norepinephrine (hormones and neurotransmitters),” he said. That surge signals the body that it is under threat, reinforcing a fight-or-flight posture that the jaw helps maintain.
The therapy also aims at fascia, the connective network that wraps muscles, organs and joints, allowing deeper release than surface massage alone. Stretching or releasing the fascia can let the muscle lengthen more fully, which often produces instant relief. “When you release the jaw, then instantaneously you come out of that fight or flight mode,” he said. “And if you’ve been there for a long time, like most people have, it instantaneously shocks the nervous system in a good way.”
Dr. Justin Richer, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, offers a clinician’s perspective on who benefits and what to watch for. “Jaw release is almost like a massage or similar technique, to put pressure on the muscles and let the tension that’s built up just kind of relax away,” he said. He notes it is not widely practiced by everyone but can be useful for people with TMJ symptoms, facial muscle pain, or sustained tightness.
Richer also stresses caution and the value of correct diagnosis before manipulation. “If it’s done properly, there’s very minimal risk,” he said. “What we get concerned about is undue manipulation of the joint, so either cracking or distorting or trying to forcefully move the joint . . . that can actually cause undue harm from an orthopedic perspective.” His closing advice was plain: “Get a diagnosis first before you go ahead and start manipulating things,” he advised.
