TMJ, Jaw & Neck Pain Treatment Gold Coast

Biomechanics-led treatment for jaw tension, clicking, headaches, and chronic neck pain.

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At Burleigh Biomechanics, we specialise in resolving TMJ pain, jaw dysfunction and neck tension by correcting the pressure and movement patterns that drive these problems in the first place.

If your jaw keeps clicking, locking, feeling tight, or you rely on constant massage to cope โ€” youโ€™re not dealing with a local jaw issue.

Youโ€™re dealing with a whole-body mechanics issue.

physio burleigh heads

Why TMJ & Neck Pain Rarely Come From the Jaw or Neck Alone

Most people are told their jaw is โ€œoveractiveโ€ or their neck is โ€œweak.โ€

In reality, the jaw and neck are compensating for deeper imbalances:

  • A rib cage that flares and canโ€™t pressurise

  • A pelvis that falls into rotation or tilt

  • Foot pressure patterns that destabilise the entire chain

  • Breathing mechanics that pull tension into the jaw and neck

  • Gait timing that loads the upper body instead of distributing force

When the foundation isnโ€™t stable, your jaw, neck, and shoulders will grip harder just to keep you upright.

This is why the same symptoms keep returning, even after:

  • Jaw massages

  • Dry needling

  • Neck strengthening exercises

  • Chiropractor adjustments

  • Night guards

  • TMJ injections

These all treat the symptoms, not the system.

โ€œThis literature meta-analysis showed a correlation between posture and TMD. Nerve pathways probably regulate both body posture and mandibular posture.โ€ PMC

Translation: the way you hold and control your whole body is linked to jaw problems, not just the joint itself.

How We Assess TMJ, Jaw & Neck Pain

Your initial assessment looks at the actual drivers of your jaw and neck tension. We use slow-motion video analysis and FP-based assessment to map out your full-body mechanics:

We assess:

  • Rib cage position and breathing mechanics

  • Pelvic orientation and rotation bias

  • Foot pressure and ankle mechanics โ†’ how they influence neck load

  • Gait sequencing and upper-body rotation

  • Head carriage and thoracic compression

  • Jaw deviation patterns during movement

  • Nervous system load and stress-driven bracing patterns

This gives us a clear picture of why your jaw or neck has become the โ€œweak link.โ€

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Donโ€™t Take it From Us!

  • Burleigh Biomechanics has an incredibly knowledgeable team employing Functional Patterns training. If youโ€™re looking for help to overcome neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain or healing from an injury, this is the place to be.

    Verified 5 Star Google Review

  • Been training with Jen at Burleigh Biomechanics. Before I started with Functional Patterns my body was a mess, constant pain and headaches. Now Iโ€™m pretty well pain free, feeling great physically and mentally.

    Verified 5 Star Google Review

  • My body has been dysfunctional for the past 30 years and, I have been in pain and unable to live my life to the fullest for the last 10 of those... I have been working with Jen for a year now and have made huge improvements to the way my body moves and pain levels.

    Verified 5 Star Google Review

Why Traditional TMJ Physiotherapy Often Fails

Strengthening the neck increases global tension

If ribโ€“pelvis mechanics are off, more โ€œstrengtheningโ€ only reinforces the problem.

Gym-based neck exercises train the wrong patterns

They build local muscle, not global integration.

Jaw exercises overload a system that is already gripping

You donโ€™t need a stronger jaw โ€” you need a more stable foundation.

The jaw is part of a global sling system

If the ribs, pelvis, and feet arenโ€™t organised, the jaw never relaxes.

Massage and dry needling give relief but donโ€™t change mechanics

Symptom relief without structural change = symptoms return.

Most TMJ and neck pain cases we see arenโ€™t โ€œneck problems.โ€

Theyโ€™re pressure problems.

Our Approach to TMJ & Neck Pain (Functional Patterns Framework)

We rebuild your mechanics so your jaw and neck no longer need to compensate.

We focus on:

  • Restoring ribโ€“pelvis stacking

  • Rebuilding diaphragm โ†’ TVA sequencing

  • Reducing upper-body gripping patterns

  • Integrating jaw alignment into global rotation

  • Improving foot pressure and gait timing

  • Teaching your system how to distribute load, not collapse under it

As your movement system organises, the jaw and neck naturally decompress and symptoms fade.

Conditions We Support

Whether your symptoms feel muscular, joint-related, or stress-driven โ€” the underlying issue is the same: your pressure mechanics need restoring.

  • We donโ€™t just treat the jaw โ€” we change the way your whole body manages pressure. Using Functional Patterns, we look at how your ribs, pelvis, feet and breathing are loading the TMJ. By restoring ribโ€“pelvis stacking and gait mechanics, we reduce the need for your jaw to over-stabilise, so the joint can finally decompress instead of being constantly braced.

  • Clenching is usually your bodyโ€™s way of trying to stabilise a system that feels unsafe. We use FP to organise your breathing, rib cage and pelvic position so your jaw doesnโ€™t have to act like a handbrake all day. As global tension drops and your centre of mass is better controlled, clenching usually eases without you having to โ€œtry to relax your jawโ€ all the time.

  • Clicking is often a sign that the joint is being pulled out of an efficient track by uneven muscle tension and poor head/neck positioning. We use FP patterns to rebalance how your head sits over your rib cage and how your shoulder girdle and neck share load. As those mechanics improve, the forces on the TMJ become more symmetrical and clicking often reduces.

  • Locking can reflect a joint that has been chronically over-loaded and is now guarding. Rather than prying the joint open, we change the environment itโ€™s living in: how you breathe, how you stack your spine, how you load your feet when you stand and walk. FP work helps the surrounding musculature feel safer, so the locking response can calm down over time.

  • Headaches linked to TMJ and neck issues are usually a full-chain problem: jaw โ†’ neck โ†’ ribs โ†’ pelvis โ†’ feet. With FP, we restore better rotation, pressure management and head positioning so the muscles at the base of your skull arenโ€™t working overtime. As your system stops using your jaw and neck as the main stabilisers, headache frequency and intensity often decrease.

  • Instead of โ€œstrengthening the neck,โ€ we use FP to take chronic load off the neck. We correct how your ribs sit over your pelvis, how your feet accept pressure, and how your arms and trunk rotate when you walk. When the spine is stacked and the gait pattern is more efficient, the neck no longer has to grip to hold your head up, so pain can settle.

  • Overactive traps are usually a compensation for a weak pressure system below. FP work improves how you breathe, how your ribs expand, and how your pelvis and feet handle ground reaction forces. As the lower system takes more load, the shoulders donโ€™t need to shrug and brace all day, so that โ€œalways tightโ€ feeling in the traps can finally start to let go.

  • Stress loads the nervous system, but the way that stress shows up in your body is biomechanical. With FP, we target both: we improve your breathing mechanics and ribโ€“pelvis organisation to give your system a more stable baseline, so it doesnโ€™t default to clenching as its main stabilising strategy. That way, nervous system regulation actually shows up as less jaw tension, not just โ€œcoping better.โ€

  • If the head is sitting in front of the body, the neck is in a permanent tug-of-war. We use FP to bring your centre of mass back over your base of support by restoring your rib cage, pelvis and foot mechanics. Instead of forcing the neck โ€œback,โ€ we rebuild the stack from the ground up so compression reduces and the neck can find a more neutral, sustainable position.

Book an Assessment

What to Expect in Your Sessions

  • assessment for neck pain and TMJ Gold Coast

    Your initial session includes:

    Slow-motion gait & posture analysis

    Rib, pelvis and jaw mechanics assessment

    Breathing pattern assessment

    Strategy session + personalised plan

    Around 30 minutes of functional training

    Individualised myo fascial release training

  • functional training for neck pain tmj Gold Coast

    Your follow-up sessions focus on:

    Global integration drills (no isolated neck exercises)

    Reducing compression patterns

    Teaching your system to stabilise without gripping

    Improving jaw freedom through whole-body mechanics

    Measurable changes in your movement and symptoms

    Our goal is not temporary relief โ€” itโ€™s long-term correction.

Who This Is For?

Youโ€™ll benefit from this service if:

  • Your jaw clicks, pops, locks, or shifts

  • You clench during the day or at night

  • You depend on massage/needling for relief

  • You have chronic neck or trap tightness

  • Your headaches start at the base of the skull

  • Youโ€™ve tried traditional physio with no change

  • You want a long-term solution, not band-aids

If this sounds like you, your jaw and neck pain likely stem from deeper pressure issues โ€” and we can help.

Your Initial Assessment Includes

๐Ÿ•’ 90 minutes
๐ŸŽฅ Posture & gait video analysis
๐Ÿ” Movement sequencing assessment
๐ŸŽฏ Individualised correction plan

We do not guess.
We show you exactly whatโ€™s driving your injury pattern.

Book Your
Chronic Neck & Jaw Assessment

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Located in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast โ€” easily accessible from Miami, Palm Beach, Burleigh Waters, Tallebudgera and Varsity Lakes.