TMJ, Head and Neck Pain Specialist - I help people in pain rewrite their story using my Physioloops Signature Process.
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03/17/2026
Dizziness won’t go away? It could be this neck muscle.
If you’ve been dealing with dizziness, you might already be doing exercises… but if you’re not addressing this specific muscle, you could be missing a key piece.
💡 What’s happening?
This muscle (the SCM) runs from the bone behind your ear down to your collarbone. When it’s tight, it can pull your head forward and to the side, which can interfere with how your brain senses head position — an important part of balance.
🔥 Why this stretch works
The SCM rotates your head to the opposite side, tilts it to the same side, and helps pull it forward.
So to stretch it effectively, you have to do the opposite of what it does.
That means:
Tilt away from the muscleRotate toward the muscleThen look up to fully lengthen it
This combination creates a deep stretch from behind the ear all the way down to the collarbone.
🛠️ Exercise to reduce tension + dizziness
1️⃣ SCM stretch (3-step position)
Tilt your head away from the side you want to stretch.
Then, rotate toward that side like you’re looking over your shoulder.
Finally, look upward to deepen the stretch.
You can gently pull to increase intensity, but keep it controlled and pain-free.
This targets the full length of the muscle and helps reduce the tension that can contribute to dizziness.
Improving mobility and reducing tension here can help your brain get clearer signals about head position. Give it a try!
03/16/2026
Why neck pain + dizziness? It might be these muscles.
Comment “QUIZ” and I’ll send you my Root Cause Quiz!
Many people with neck pain and dizziness try massage, stretching, or vertigo treatments… but the symptoms keep coming back. The reason is that sometimes the problem isn’t your inner ear or your joints — it’s actually two key muscles in the front and side of your neck that help control head position and balance.
💡 What’s happening?
These muscles run from the bone behind your ear down to your collarbone. Because there are two of them (one on each side), tightness can pull the head forward and downward.
That forward head posture compresses the upper neck joints and disrupts signals going to your balance center, causing neck pain & dizziness.
🔥 Why this muscle affects balance
This muscle does a lot: it turns your head to the opposite side, tilts your head to the same side, and even helps lift the head when it’s stuck in a forward posture.
Because it has so many jobs, your brain relies on information from it to understand where your head is in space. If one side becomes tight or spasms, the brain can receive confusing signals.
🛠️ Exercises to restore balance and control
1️⃣ Tilt + rotate movement
Tilt your head to one side, then rotate and look up and down while holding that tilt. This strengthens one side of the muscle while stretching the other, helping correct imbalances.
2️⃣ Band-resisted rotation
Rotate your head away from the resistance band. The muscle on that side shortens and works to control the movement. Then repeat on the opposite side to strengthen both sides evenly.
3️⃣ Chin tuck with band
Perform a chin tuck against band resistance. This movement lengthens both muscles while they stay active, creating a controlled stretch that can relieve tension.
Addressing these muscles can reduce the imbalance and tension that often contribute to both neck pain and dizziness.
If you want help figuring out the exact root cause of your symptoms, comment “QUIZ” on this video and I’ll send you my Root Cause Quiz.
03/15/2026
Still getting headaches in the same exact spot? 🤕 PART 2 of 2!
In yesterday’s video, we showed how four muscles can refer pain into the head, creating the exact headache you feel. By holding pressure on each muscle for 20 seconds, you can see which one reproduces your symptoms and identify the likely cause.
Now here are the releases and stretches to calm those muscles down.
💡 Release 1: Upper Trapezius
Release: Massage along the entire muscle and hold on tender spots.
Stretch: Tilt your head to the side and gently pull with your hand for overpressure.
Hold, then repeat again while looking slightly to the side.
💡 Release 2: SCM
Release: Grab the long muscle under the ear and massage down its length.
Stretch: Turn toward the painful side and tilt away, then hold.
💡 Release 3: Suboccipitals
Release: Find the groove at the base of the skull and press into it, rubbing small circles.
Stretch: Tuck your chin, then use your hand on the back of your head to gently stretch forward.
💡 Release 4: Occipitofrontalis
Release the muscle by rubbing the back portion near the skull, then the front portion across the forehead.
If the muscle you tested in the last video recreated your headache, these releases can help reduce the tension driving your pain.
Which one was it for you?
posture
03/15/2026
Comment the word ‘QUIZ’ on this video and I’ll send you my free Root Cause Quiz to help you find the cause of your head, neck or jaw pain!
Do you experience prickling pain on your jaw close to the chin area? Well, one of the muscles that attaches there is a thin, broad muscle called the platysma. This muscle also has ties into the eye and cheek.
When the muscle gets tight, it can pull on the jaw… but it also refers pain. One way to check if this muscle is causing your issues is to pinch on it lightly and roll the tissue between your fingers, does that reproduce your symptoms? If so, then you can start stretching this tissue out.
You want to be very careful when stretching the tissue out because it can flare up so less is more with this and you slowly progressively move into the stretch more. I would also use the heat pack before hand.
03/14/2026
Headaches keep coming back? 🤕 PART 1 of 2!
If you keep getting headaches in the same exact spot, popping a pill might quiet the pain for a little while… but it doesn’t fix the actual cause.
A lot of headaches aren’t coming from your head at all — they’re coming from tight muscles that refer pain to the head. When those muscles stay irritated, the headache keeps returning.
💡 Here’s the key idea:
Certain muscles have referral patterns, meaning when they get tight or irritated, they send pain somewhere else (often the exact spot where you feel your headache).
So instead of guessing or masking it with medication, you can test the muscles that commonly cause headaches in that area.
🔥 Test 1: Upper Trapezius
Place your fingers on the top of your shoulder and press straight down into the muscle. Hold for 20 seconds.
If this muscle is involved, the pressure may reproduce the same headache you usually feel.
🔥 Test 2: Suboccipitals
Place your fingers at the base of your skull and press upward into the small muscles there.
Hold for 20 seconds and see if your familiar headache shows up.
🔥 Test 3: SCM (Sternocleidomastoid)
Grab the long rope-like muscle that runs from behind your ear down the front of your neck.
Gently pinch and hold for 20 seconds. If it recreates your symptoms, that muscle may be the culprit.
🔥 Test 4: Occipitofrontalis
Place one hand on your forehead and the other at the base of your skull on the same side.
Hold the pressure for 20 seconds and see if it brings on your headache.
💭 Why this matters:
When the pressure on a muscle recreates the exact headache you usually feel, that’s a strong clue that the muscle is driving the pain.
Once you identify the right muscle, you can finally start releasing the true cause instead of chasing symptoms.
➡️ Figured out your cause? Stay tuned for Part 2, which comes out tomorrow!
posture
03/13/2026
💥 Radiating arm pain? Try this.
Pain running from the shoulder down the arm and even into the hand, sometimes with numbness or tingling, is often caused by nerve compression around the shoulder and chest. Instead of only stretching the arm, you need to improve shoulder control and open the muscles that compress those nerves.
Here are two exercises that can help.
💡 Step 1: Shoulder External Rotation
Rest your elbow on a surface at or slightly below shoulder height with the elbow bent to 90°. Rotate your arm upward and back down while keeping that same elbow angle.
Focus on chest up, shoulders back, and a neutral spine, staying relaxed without shrugging.
This helps build shoulder control, which can reduce nerve compression and pain.
💡 Step 2: Foam Roller Pec Opener
Place a foam roller along your spine so it supports you up to the base of your skull. Relax and allow your arms and shoulders to slowly sink toward the floor.
This stretch helps open the chest and lengthen the pec muscles, which can compress nerves when tight—helping reduce arm pain, tingling, and numbness.
03/12/2026
Is your arm pain coming from your neck… or somewhere else?
Comment “QUIZ” and I’ll send you my Root Cause Quiz to help you figure out what’s really causing your pain.
Arm pain, tingling, or numbness traveling down your shoulder and arm is often blamed on “tight muscles.” But stretching randomly can actually make the problem worse. The key is figuring out where the nerve is getting irritated first.
💡 Why this matters:
The nerve that travels down your arm starts in your neck. If something compresses it in the wrong place, it can send pain, numbness, or tingling all the way into your shoulder, arm, or hand.
🔥 Step 1: Identify the cause
There are two common reasons this happens...
1️⃣ Compression inside the neck
Sometimes structures inside the spine, like discs, shift and irritate the nerve where it exits the neck.
Test it by moving your neck:
• Look all the way up and down
• Turn side to side
• Tilt in each direction
Hold each position up to a minute. If this reproduces your arm symptoms, the irritation may be coming from the neck.
2️⃣ Compression outside the spine
After the nerve leaves the neck, it has to pass through several tight spaces—between the scalene muscles, under the clavicle, and beneath the pec minor.
Try this test: Raise your arms with elbows at your sides and open and close your hands for 3 minutes. If your hands start tingling or going numb, the nerve may be getting compressed in this area.
💡 Fix based on the cause
If it’s coming from the neck:
Do a chin tuck, then tilt toward the painful side, add gentle overpressure, and release. Repeat for about 10 reps throughout the day.
If it’s coming from outside the spine:
• Look away from the painful side and stretch
• Tilt away from the painful side and hold
• Stretch the pec minor by lying over a foam roller and letting your shoulders drop down.
🏋️ Treatment for BOTH:
No matter the cause, improving shoulder and postural strength helps prevent the nerve from getting irritated again. Try punching your arms forward while tucking your chin to activate the muscles that support your neck and shoulders.
03/11/2026
Upper neck pain that won’t go away? It might be your suboccipital muscles.
Those tiny muscles at the base of your skull often get tight from looking down, posture habits, or spending long hours on phones and computers. When they stay tight, they can create stubborn upper neck pain and headaches.
This simple sequence helps release tension first, then retrain the muscles to work properly.
💆♂️ Step 1: Muscle Releases
Start with your head resting on a table or surface.
1️⃣ Drag your fingers side to side across the base of the skull.
2️⃣ Move up and down, following the muscles along the upper neck and spine.
3️⃣ Use firm pressure, slowly exploring for tender spots.
4️⃣ When you find one, hold steady pressure for about 30 seconds, then release.
This helps reduce tension in the small muscles that commonly trigger upper neck pain.
💪 Step 2: Muscle Activation
Once those muscles are relaxed, it’s time to wake them up.
Lift your head slightly off the table, then slowly return it back down.
Focus on moving from the lower neck and staying controlled.
This helps the deep neck muscles start supporting your head again.
🔄 Step 3: Add Rotation
Now repeat the lift again, but add a gentle rotation before returning back down.
Keep the movement slow and controlled. The goal is to retrain proper neck movement and stability.
When you combine release + activation + controlled movement, you address the root cause instead of just temporarily relieving symptoms.
headache relief
03/10/2026
Do you experience pain on both sides of the jaw and you can’t figure out the root cause?
Maybe you’re wondering if one side is causing pain on the other side.
👉 Well, you’re not crazy, and in this video I show why. You see... The TMJ is the only joint in the body where one bone connects both sides of the body. As a result, one sided issues cause two sided problems.
Now that you understand that, try the exercises for relief that I show!
💬 Comment your experience with jaw pain on one or both sides below, and let’s start a productive conversation.
03/10/2026
Many people with head or neck pain try stretching the neck over and over… but the real issue is often how the body rotates as a whole. If your neck ends up doing most of the work, it can easily become irritated.
💡 What this movement teaches:
This band exercise retrains full-body rotation so your neck isn’t forced to overcompensate.
1️⃣ Initiate from the hips.
Start by rotating from the hips and spine first. When the lower body leads the motion, it sets up the rest of the body to move smoothly.
2️⃣ Let the shoulder and arm follow.
After the spine begins rotating, the movement continues through the shoulder, elbow, and finally the hand pulling the band diagonally.
3️⃣ Return with control.
As you come back to the start position, the body reverses the same sequence—spine first, then shoulder and arm—so the neck doesn’t take over the movement.
🔥 Why this helps:
When rotation is shared across the hips, spine, and shoulders, the neck no longer has to do the extra work. That’s often what helps reduce headaches, neck tension, and irritation during turning movements.
Try it slowly and focus on the sequence: hips → spine → shoulder → arm → hand.
03/10/2026
Do neck adjustments actually “put your neck back in place”?
Comment ‘QUIZ’ below and I’ll send you my Root Cause Quiz to help figure out what’s actually driving your pain.
A lot of people with neck pain, headaches, or dizziness believe their neck bones are constantly slipping out of alignment… and that the only way to fix it is repeated adjustments. But the relief people feel after an adjustment usually isn’t from bones moving back into place. It’s because the nervous system receives a strong sensory input that temporarily reduces pain signals.
Understanding that difference is important—because it means you can often recreate the same calming effect for the nervous system at home, while also building the strength and control that prevents the irritation from coming back.
💡 Step 1: Calm the upper neck
Place a ball under the base of your skull and relax into it. The gentle pressure stimulates receptors in the upper neck.
This can help settle irritation and decrease sensitivity in the area.
🔄 Step 2: Restore upper neck control
Lift your head slightly and slowly rotate side to side. Keep the head centered so the movement is pure rotation—no tilting.
This helps retrain control of the small muscles in the upper neck that stabilize the head.
💪 Step 3: Strengthen the support system
Grab a band, bring your arms out to the side, and press overhead.
This strengthens the shoulders, upper back, and neck so your posture doesn’t collapse forward.
When you combine calming the area with building strength and control, you give the neck a much better chance of staying pain-free long term.
If you want help figuring out what’s really causing your symptoms, comment QUIZ and I’ll send you my Root Cause Quiz.
physicaltherapy
03/09/2026
Comment “QUIZ” and I’ll send you my Root Cause Quiz to figure out what’s actually causing your pain.
Do you experience Jaw Pain and you’re not sure why it’s there? Well, one simple starting point we can use is determining if it’s more muscular or joint pain. And a simple test to get started with that would be biting on a tongue depressor!
If while biting, your pain is located on the side of the tongue depressor, it could be a muscle problem whereas if the pain is on the opposite side of the tongue pressure, it could be a joint problem. Once we get these results, we can use it as a starting point to build a plan for relief and recovery!
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Being a very active person, Dr. Joseph Damiani is always encountering some new injury, ache or pain threatening his lifestyle. However, his unwillingness to compromise his INDEPENDENCE and doing the things he loves has allowed him to learn first hand how to effectively rehabilitate injuries and keep going!
As Joe is now in his mid-30s, he has learned that it's true what they say, you're not invincible forever. Also, he sees in his patients, family and friends who are in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and older that the road does not get any easier, however the DIFFERENCE between those who give up their independence and those who continue doing all the things they love is access to THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND CARE.
Joe's passion is to build a physical therapy clinic and system that will allow active adults to continue the activities they love for their entire life. He is motivated to deliver this to not only his patients but to himself. Selfishly, he realized that if he can deliver a product to patients that will keep them MOBILE, ACTIVE, INDEPENDENT and doing the THINGS THEY LOVE then he can use that same product on himself to continue to live the life he is building, pain and injury-free.
Joe opened Skyline Physical Therapy located in Wyckoff, New Jersey because it was his only option. As previously mentioned, Joe's vision was to build a facility which allows each patient to attain the life they truly deserve. In order to accomplish this, he could NOT PARTICIPATE in the existing physical therapy model. In the existing model, patients receive merely 15 minutes of the physical therapist’s attention before being handed off to someone else. The physical therapists are handcuffed by the high volume of patients and the patients are the ones making all the sacrifice…
At Skyline Physical Therapy in Wyckoff, New Jersey, every patient receives one-on-one focused treatment during each visit. This system gives the physical therapist a clear comprehension of what each of their patients requires to recover. The ONE-ON-ONE PATIENT CENTERED approach used at Skyline allows the therapist the necessary time to identify the root cause of the patients pain and develop the proper plan of care to restore independence. This system affords the therapist the time to be PERSISTENT and continuously modify the plan, MAXIMIZING RESULTS. Specialized treatment at our clinic will give you back pain relief, neck pain relief, TMJ pain relief, knee pain relief, shoulder pain relief and more!
The therapist also focuses on educating the patient thoroughly about the state of dysfunction in their body and how we can reverse it. When the patient is not here at our clinic for treatment, they can stay in close communication with their therapist via phone, video calls or email. Every person should be walking longer, sleeping better, driving a ball farther, enjoying playing with your grandkids or simply living pain-free. The body has so much more potential (AT EVERY AGE) than many will ever realize. What most people consider the norm, is actually a state of dysfunction. Every year that goes by living in this state of dysfunction is another year of missed opportunity to live life to the fullest.
Joseph earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from Manhattan College in 2006 and went on to receive a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Miami in 2010. Dr. Damiani is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Prior to opening Skyline Physical Therapy, Joseph’s clinical experience with patients includes his time at two of the Nation's Top Hospitals as Ranked by US News and World Report. The first being the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan where he was exposed to spine and orthopedic injuries in patients ranging from professional athletes to active adults. The second being Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Los Angeles, where his specialty was joint and spine rehabilitation.
If you would like to know how Skyline Physical Therapy can help you live with less pain and get back to feeling great again - we invite you to start with a completely free DISCOVERY SESSION in our Wyckoff, New Jersey Clinic. It is a no-obligation, risk free appointment at our clinic.
