| Latin | Musculus masseter |
|---|---|
| Origin |
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| Insertion |
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| Action |
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| Nerve | Masseteric nerve, from the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (CN V3) |
| Name | Greek maseter, 'chewer'. |
Palpation
- Client supine; sit or stand at the head of the table.
- Place two or three finger pads on the side of the face, between the cheekbone (zygomatic arch) and the angle of the jaw, about 2–3 cm in front of the ear lobe.
- Feel a thick, rectangular pad of muscle running down and slightly back from the cheekbone to the jaw.
- Ask the client to gently clench the teeth; the masseter bulges firmly under your fingers, then softens when they relax.
The masseter is one of the strongest muscles for its size and one of the easiest to find on the face. It is a key muscle in Head, face and scalp — 20 min because many people hold tension here, especially those who clench or grind their teeth, chew gum a lot, or feel stressed. Clients often report that slow circular friction on the masseter feels like a “release” through the whole face.
Work it with light to moderate pressure using the finger pads: slow effleurage down from the cheekbone to the jaw, then small circles over the thickest part of the muscle. Ask the client to let the lips part slightly and the teeth separate so the jaw can relax. Stay below the cheekbone and off the joint just in front of the ear (the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ).
The masseter works with the Temporalis (at the side of the head) and the Pterygoids (deep, inside the jaw) to close the mouth. To tell the masseter and temporalis apart, clench and feel both: the masseter bulges on the jaw below the cheekbone, and the temporalis bulges on the side of the head above it. Wikipedia describes the superficial fibres as protruding the jaw; some textbooks add that the deep fibres help retract it.