Neck muscles tense when talking

February 16, 2019 6:18 PM

Is this normal?

When I talk I notice that the muscles around my neck contract/flex. Why does this happen and how do I fix this? Thanks!

posted by Crookshanks_Meow to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

It could be TMJ, e.g.

Can TMJ cause neck pain? Yes it can, and it may be that the underlying cause of the pain is in fact a TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder, which is usually overlooked. When your jaw bone becomes dislocated, the surrounding muscles go into spasm.

You can consult with a dentist and there are physical therapists who specialize in treating TMJ.
posted by Little Dawn at 7:48 PM on February 16, 2019

Some of that is normal; watch Henry Rollins talking, for example. Is it causing you pain or other problems? It may just be one of those things that happens all the time but people don't usually notice.
posted by TedW at 5:54 AM on February 17, 2019

Seconding what TedW says, assuming you are in the US. According to my ENT - who is apparently driven almost mad by this - and a friend who is a voice teacher, Americans all pitch their voices up or down and do weird stuff and use our speaking voice to ID ourselves by gender in class in ways that are bad. Vocal fry ain't the half of it.

I am told that this is considered a factor in heart disease.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:15 PM on February 17, 2019 [1 favorite]