| Latin | Musculus temporalis |
|---|---|
| Origin |
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| Insertion |
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| Action |
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| Nerve | Deep temporal nerves, from the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (CN V3) |
| Name | Latin tempora, 'the temples' — the muscle lies over the temple. |
Palpation
- Client supine; sit at the head of the table.
- Place the pads of your fingers on the side of the head, just above and in front of the ear, in the hollow at the temple.
- Spread your fingers into a fan shape; the muscle covers an area about the size of your palm above the ear.
- Ask the client to gently clench the teeth; feel the temporalis tighten under your fingers, then relax.
The temporalis is a flat, fan-shaped muscle that covers much of the side of the skull. Its fibres gather together and pass down under the cheekbone (zygomatic arch) to attach to the jaw, so you can only feel it above the cheekbone. It is a favourite area in Head, face and scalp — 20 min because clients who clench their jaw often carry tension at the temples and commonly report tension-type headaches in the same area.
Use slow circular friction with the finger pads over the whole fan, from the temple back and up behind the ear, with light to moderate pressure. Keep your contact moving slowly, and avoid the temple pulse point just in front of the ear, where the superficial temporal artery runs.
The temporalis works with the Masseter to close the jaw; its back fibres also pull the jaw back, which the masseter does not do strongly. The Pterygoids help from inside the jaw. Sources describe the origin slightly differently: Wikipedia’s infobox names the temporal lines of the parietal bone and the temporal surface of the sphenoid bone, while most textbooks simply say the floor of the temporal fossa and the overlying temporal fascia. These describe the same area.