The Jaw–Pelvis Connection: Why your TMJ and hips might be speaking the same language
Acupuncture for Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) and Pelvic Pain
Ever noticed how jaw tension often pairs with tight hips or pelvic pain?
From both a Traditional Chinese Medicine and physiological lens, these two areas are more connected than you might think.
Physiological Connections
The trigeminal nerve (which controls jaw muscles) and the sacral nerves (which influence pelvic floor muscles) are both part of our body’s deep stress response loop.
Chronic stress or trauma can keep these nerves on high alert, creating patterns of clenching, guarding, and holding — both in the jaw and pelvis.
The fascial network connects the skull to the sacrum via the dural tube — the protective sheath around the spinal cord. When tension builds at one end (like the jaw), it can ripple down through this fascial line, tightening the neck, spine, and hips.
This is why dental clenching, neck tension, or a tailbone misalignment can all influence one another.
The TCM Perspective
In Traditional Chinese Medicine:
The Gallbladder and Stomach meridians pass through the jaw, traveling down the sides of the body into the hips and legs.
The Liver and Kidney systems govern the pelvis, spine, and emotional grounding.
When Liver Qi stagnates, stress and frustration rise upward — showing as jaw clenching, headaches, or neck tension.
When the Kidneys are depleted, there’s less energetic support from below — the body tenses to compensate, especially through the pelvis and lower back.
So, both upper and lower tension often stem from the same imbalance: Qi not flowing smoothly through the midline.
How to Support Healing Holistically
From a TCM approach:
Acupuncture to regulate the Liver, Kidney, and Gallbladder channels, and release the fascial chains connecting the jaw–neck–pelvis.
Breathwork and gentle Qi Gong to reconnect the diaphragm and pelvic floor.
Heat therapy (moxa or warm compresses) to soften deep-held tension.
Herbal support to nourish and move Qi (subject to individual diagnosis).
From a holistic body perspective:
Bodywork or craniosacral therapy to release the dural tube and fascial restrictions.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy or somatic movement to restore balance from the base up.
Mindful awareness — noticing when you clench or hold, and gently inviting softness.
Grounding practices: walking barefoot, slow breathing, or hip-opening stretches.
✨ When the pelvis grounds, the jaw can release. When the jaw softens, the whole body exhales. ✨
Ready to unwind the jaw–pelvis tension loop?
At Wild Heart Acupuncture in Blackwood, I take a holistic, nervous-system–centred approach to TMJ tension, pelvic pain, stress, and the deeper patterns behind them.
If you’re feeling stuck in chronic tightness or emotional holding, a personalised treatment can help restore flow, balance, and ease.
Book your acupuncture session today and begin reconnecting your body from jaw to pelvis — and everywhere in between.