{"id":5178,"date":"2020-08-11T16:30:01","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T16:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottdonkin.com\/content\/?p=5178"},"modified":"2020-08-11T16:30:01","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T16:30:01","slug":"how-to-handle-a-hidden-problem-caused-by-stress-covid-clenching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottdonkin.com\/content\/index.php\/2020\/08\/11\/how-to-handle-a-hidden-problem-caused-by-stress-covid-clenching\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle a Hidden Problem Caused by Stress: COVID Clenching"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new and serious side-effect from stress caused by the pandemic has been detected by Nebraska chiropractor Dr. Scott Donkin. Neck, back and jaw pain, headaches, and insomnia have worsened significantly, and they are the direct result of excessive \u201cclenching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Donkin said, \u201cPatients are acknowledging that they find themselves intensely clenching multiple times an hour. I suspected that COVID-19 was causing patients to feel extra stress and pain issues. After considerable study these last few months, I attribute the clenching and resulting pain to concern about the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy patients express uncertainty about the state of the world, the state of our communities, the economy, and even our families\u2019 futures,\u201d Donkin said. \u201cWe all have a lot to be concerned about, and patients are revealing their fears with new or worsening symptoms that are stress-related.<\/p>\n

On examination, Dr. Donkin finds patients with temple muscles and the muscles between the cheek and lower jawbone extremely tight, and neck, shoulder, and arm muscles as hard as concrete.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have found this \u2018COVID Clenching\u2019 to be rather common with my patients,\u201d Dr. Donkin says. He explains that we have all had stressful situations that cause tension. Now we are experiencing the sustained grip that the COVID unknowns have on a person. In reality, the tensing effects of a conversation, reading an article, or viewing a program create an ongoing environment for stress and its manifestations, such as jaw clenching and pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAwareness is key to unclenching this monster,\u201d Donkin says. \u201cMany people are totally unaware that they are locked up through clenching in so many ways by the sustained COVID-19 worries, and they are harming themselves. Once they become aware, they can relax, realizing that they are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Donkin\u2019s patients demonstrate that clenching is apparent in several forms. The most obvious is the clenching of the teeth, which makes the temple and jaw muscles contract deeply, and can lead to increased tension in the neck and back. Second is clenching the fists, which is not limited to the hands. This clenching can quickly spread to the elbows and then to the shoulders.<\/p>\n

Finally, whole-body clenching is similar to the reaction of sudden cold. The whole body\u2014shoulders and knees included\u2014curls inward as the body reacts. Whole-body clenching can exacerbate muscle and joint pain.<\/p>\n

Dr. Donkin recommends to his patients that they become aware of their particular clenching response, so they can separate the cause (COVID-19 talk) from the effect (clenching in the jaw, head, neck, arms, and body) and begin to work on what they can control, which is their body\u2019s tensing response to stress.<\/p>\n

Steps to combat clenching:<\/p>\n