When Teresa first came to River City Myofunctional Therapy, she had been living with something many people quietly accept as “normal”: neck and shoulder tension, frequent headaches, and ongoing TMJ pain. It was something she had carried for so long that she didn’t fully realize how much it was affecting her day-to-day life.
“I had a lot of tension all through my head and neck. My shoulders were up all the time. I’d get headaches frequently,” Teresa shared.
Like many patients, Teresa had adapted. She pushed through discomfort, adjusted her habits, and unknowingly limited what she felt capable of doing each day.
Living in Survival Mode Without Realizing It
Before therapy, headaches and jaw tension didn’t just cause discomfort. These problems shaped Teresa’s energy, mood, and choices.
“When you get a headache, you just don’t want to do stuff,” she explained.
“Some days it would be so tense that even opening my mouth to eat felt like, ‘I don’t want to do that right now.’ It would really sideline my day.”
Over time, chronic tension becomes background noise. Teresa didn’t realize how much it was affecting her until it wasn’t there anymore.
“I knew it was there, but I’d lived with it for so long. I didn’t realize how much it affected me until it was all gone.”
Therapy, Frenectomy, and a Turning Point
Through working with the River City Myofunctional Therapy team, Teresa began addressing the underlying causes of her symptoms: breathing patterns, tongue function, jaw mechanics, and muscle coordination.
She noticed significant improvement through therapy, but following her frenectomy she said the improvement was dramatic.
“Once I had my frenectomy, I just felt total release through my neck and shoulders. It was amazing. I felt like I couldn’t even control my shoulders—there was just so much release.”
That moment marked a clear shift from managing symptoms to experiencing true relief.
Life on the Other Side of Chronic Tension
Today, Teresa describes a life that feels fundamentally different.
- TMJ pain is gone
- Head and neck tension has resolved
- Headaches are now rare
- Sleep quality has improved
- Teeth grinding has reduced
- Reflux symptoms have improved
- Energy levels are higher
“It’s really improved my quality of life, honestly,” she said. Now Teresa wakes up with energy instead of exhaustion.
Looking Back With Clarity
Perhaps the most powerful part of Teresa’s story is the perspective she gained after healing.
“Now I look back and think, ‘Why didn’t you do this years ago?’ I’d do it a thousand times over.”
Her experience highlights something we see often at River City Myofunctional Therapy: when the body finally functions the way it was designed to, people don’t just feel better. They live differently.
