The zygomaticus major is a muscle of the face and helps with friendly facial expressions.
If it is tense or affected by trigger points, it can trigger pain in the face and forehead.
However, with a self-massage you can yourself of these tensions and trigger points.
On this page you will learn how to do it!
I will also show you which problems the muscle can cause, where it is located, how you may have overloaded it and how you can feel it.
Trigger points in the zygomaticus trigger pain that extends upwards along the side of the nose up to the forehead.
Trigger points in the zygomaticus mainly get activated by active overloads (high muscular demands). In this case, if you use your facial muscles a lot.
What is more, trigger points in the zygomaticus may be activated as a result of trigger points in the muscles of your jaw.
In this case it is very important to examine and massage these muscles as well:
It is not easy to feel the muscle, but I’m convinced that with a bit practice and patience you will succeed.
Before you start palpating the muscle, I recommend that you first feel your zygomatic arch.
Let us now proceed to the actual palpation of the muscle.
You can also feel the muscle under contraction, which may make palpation easier for you.