食いしばりの治療　Treatment for clenching

食いしばる時に使う筋肉は咀嚼筋と呼ばれる筋肉で全部で4つあります。

1．咬筋

2．側頭筋

3．外側翼突筋

4．内側翼突筋

これらの筋肉は全て第Ⅴ脳神経である三叉神経が支配し、脳から顔面へ出るまでの経路で圧迫などがあると咀嚼筋にも影響が出ると考えられています。
（発生学的にも咀嚼筋は三叉神経の第3枝の下顎神経の影響を受けて分化したものとされています。）

三叉神経は脳の橋という部分から出て来て、その後三叉神経節という神経の集まりを作ります。脳には仕切りがあり、左右を仕切る大脳鎌と上下を仕切るテント膜の間のメッケル腔という場所に三叉神経節が収まっています。

ですのでメッケル腔に対してクラニオセイクラルセラピーを行い三叉神経の圧迫を解消し、食いしばりや顎関節症の治療を行います。自律神経の乱れで常に緊張状態にある方も食いしばる事が多いので、その様な場合にもこの治療を取り入れます。

There are a total of four muscles, called masticatory muscles, used for clenching.

1． Masseter muscle

2． Temporal muscle

3． Latrral pterygoid

4. Medial pterygoid

All of these muscles are controlled by the trigeminal nerve, the first cranial nerve, and it is thought that the masticatory muscles are affected if there is pressure in the path from the brain to the face.

(Developmentally, the masticatory muscles are differentiated under the influence of the mandibular nerve of the third branch of the trigeminal nerve.)

The trigeminal nerve emerges from the pons, and then creates a group of nerves called the trigeminal ganglion. There is a partition in the brain, and the trigeminal ganglion is in a place called the Meckel’s cave between the cerebral falx that partitions the left and right and the cerebellar tentorium that partitions the top and bottom.

Therefore, Cranio-Sacral therapy is performed on the Meckel’cave to relieve pressure on the trigeminal nerve and treat clenching and temporomandibular disorders.

Even those who are constantly in tension due to disturbance of autonomic nerves often clench, so this treatment is also taken in such cases.