Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your jaw?
I’ve suffered with headaches and migraines for as long as I can remember, but in the last 18 months they started getting a lot worse and a lot more frequent. I decided it was time to get to the bottom of it and find out why I was getting these migraines so much. After seeing multiple specialists and getting some scans done, I discovered that I had torn the disc that sits on top of my jaw joint. This was likely from clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth at night. I’ve also suffered from anxiety since high school so I wasn’t surprised that this had happened. From there, I tried to work on my anxiety to prevent my jaw from getting worse, but the previous damage had already been done. I was getting deep tissue massage around my neck to try and relax the muscles a bit but couldn’t seem to get on top of it.
What made you consider trying FST?
I originally considered FST because I knew that mindfulness was going to be a big part of my recovery. I always felt tense after getting a deep tissue massage and didn’t feel that it was actually helping me relax. I wanted to try something different. I did my research and saw how many people got relief from FST.
Do you remember anything notable about your first FST session? (e.g. pain relief, or improvements but still tightness remaining, fell asleep, etc)
My first FST session was a bit of a struggle. It made me realise how tense I was and how much my state of mind was affecting my body. I struggled to relax and fully let go. But after about an hour, I started to feel really calm and found it easier to let go. The range of motion in my neck improved dramatically. When I arrived for my first session, I couldn’t turn my neck to the side without feeling shooting pain going up into my jaw and skull. By the end of the session, I felt I could move my neck around with minimal pain.
What were some changes (positive and/or negative) your experienced after your FST session(s)?
The night of my first FST session, I think I slept better than I had in months. Sleeping had been a big problem for me so this was a huge deal. I felt at ease and my pain was pretty minimal compared to what it had been previously. I knew that I’d need some follow up sessions to stay on top of this so I booked in again. After a few sessions, I started to feel really really good.
How has the management of your condition changed since the FST? What has life been like?
Managing this is a bit of a daily struggle but I’ve found it much easier since having FST. I’m staying on top of my mindfulness, meditation and headspace which for me was a large component. I found that FST taught me how to ‘let go’ in terms of relaxing muscles and this has improved my sleep dramatically. I used to be lucky to get 5 hours a night and would toss and turn constantly. These days I get 8 hours of solid sleep every night and this has made a huge difference for me. For me, FST definitely relieved my muscular tension and really improved my range of motion, but I would say the huge game changer for me was my improved state of mind!
