Meet The SCM: The “Hidden Culprit” Behind So Many Symptoms

The Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle

Most of us don't think about the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM). It's small, it runs along the front and side of your neck, and yet it can be responsible for a surprisingly long list of symptoms - including some that patients never expect.

Today, we’re highlighting the SCM because we see it every week in the clinic: tight, irritated, overworked, and silently creating problems from the jaw to the head and ears.

This month: what the SCM does, the symptoms it causes, and how massage therapy can support lasting relief.

🧠 What Does the SCM Do?

The SCM is a pair of long muscles that help:

• Turn and tilt the head

• Help with breathing when we’re stressed

• Coordinate with jaw and upper cervical muscles

• Support posture

  
  

It’s a big player in:

• Neck pain

• TMJ/TMD symptoms

• Headaches

• Posture imbalance

And because of its attachments and nerve connections, when it becomes tight or irritated, it can mimic other problems.

📌 Common SCM-Related Symptoms

Many patients are surprised by how far-reaching SCM tension can be:

✔ Headache or pressure

Especially behind the eye, at the temples, forehead, or one-sided headaches.

✔ Ear fullness or ear pain

Many people think this is from sinus congestion or infection — often it’s muscular.

✔ Jaw pain, clenching, clicking

The SCM works closely with the TMJ and the deep jaw muscles.

✔ Throat tightness

Irritated SCM can create difficulty swallowing or a “lump in throat” sensation.

✔ Vocal difficulty

Hypertonicity in the SCM can affect vocal ability.

✔ Dizziness or balance issues

The SCM is highly connected to the vestibular system.

✔ Neck strain and stiffness

Turning the head while driving, looking down at screens, or sleeping awkwardly all aggravate it.If any of these sound familiar — the SCM may be involved.

✋ Why Does the SCM Become Tight?

Common triggers:

• Poor posture (screens, phones, prolonged sitting)

• Stress or clenching

• TMJ dysfunction

• Shallow breathing

• Whiplash or previous injury

• Sleep positions

  
  

The SCM is also often a compensator: it overworks when other stabilizing muscles aren’t doing their job.

👐 How Massage Therapy Helps

Our treatments target the SCM from a biomechanical, soft-tissue, and nervous-system perspective.

✔ Direct Release of SCM + Neck Muscles

We use gentle techniques to release trigger points, tension bands, and hypertonicity that contribute to common symptoms.

✔ Intra-oral TMJ Work (when indicated)

Because SCM tension is closely linked to jaw function, treating both together is often more effective than treating them separately.

✔ Improving Posture & Muscle Balance

We don’t just release the muscle — we help restore better function of the surrounding neck, jaw, and upper thoracic muscles.

✔ Calming the Nervous System

Pain and tension are not just mechanical. Touch, pressure, and movement reduce pain signals and improve the brain-body connection.

🙎‍♀️ What Patients Often Notice After Treatment

• Less jaw tension

• Improved neck mobility

• Reduced headaches

• Less ear fullness or pressure

• Less clenching or throat tightness

• Better posture awareness and breathing

Even one session can offer relief — but long-term improvement comes from addressing the whole jaw-neck-head system.

🧩 At-Home Tips for SCM Relief

Our SCM self-massage video (located below) is one of our most recommended self-care tools for neck and TMD issues. Try this technique every 3 days with 50% of your pressure - less IS more.

✨ Ready to get relief?

Our SCM self-massage video (located below) is one of our most recommended self-care tools for neck and TMD issues. Try this technique every 3 days with 50% of your pressure - less IS more.

If you’re experiencing:

• Neck stiffness

• Jaw tension

• Ear or eye pain

• Headaches

• Difficulty turning your head

• You don’t have to wait for it to “work itself out.”

• Our Registered Massage Therapists are highly trained in:

• Neck treatment

• TMJ/TMD therapy

• Intra-oral massage

• Headache and facial pain care

We’re here to help you feel and function better, from the neck up.

👉 Book an appointment or a free consult at

www.fromtheneckupclinic.com

👐 Participate in a study: Voice Disorders & Intimacy

Do you have a voice disorder and have noticed that this condition has had an impact on intimacy in your life? If so, one of our collaborative partner's at St-Michael's Hospital, Taylor Strande SLP is conducting a study and is looking for participants. You can email her at Taylor.strande@unityhealth.to