03 / Understand the area
Temple
Pain at the side of the head can belong to a headache pattern, a jaw problem or something that needs medical attention.
An educational guide for either side of the body. Location alone cannot tell us the cause of a symptom.
A useful starting point
What this area can tell you.
The temple sits above the jaw muscles, but pointing here cannot distinguish migraine, tension-type headache or jaw-related pain. Timing is often more useful than the spot: episodes, chewing discomfort, light sensitivity and changes from your usual headaches give a clinician different clues. A short diary can record those details without trying to name the condition yourself. Dental or medical assessment may be the appropriate starting point, depending on the pattern.
Notice the pattern
Three questions to bring with you.
You don’t need to work out a diagnosis before a visit. These details can help you describe what you’re experiencing.
- How long does an episode last, and is this different from headaches you have had before?
- Does chewing change the pain, or do you notice jaw fatigue or tenderness?
- Do light, sound, nausea or changes in vision accompany the pain?
When to get help sooner
Seek urgent medical assessment for new temple pain with scalp tenderness or jaw pain when chewing, especially after age 50. New vision loss or a sudden, extremely severe headache needs emergency care.
Follow the connection
Possible explanations. Better questions.
These guides explore conditions or patterns that may overlap with this area. They are starting points for a conversation, not a list of diagnoses that can be confirmed from a body map.
Read the result with its limits
How the research fits this area.
The migraine trial did not establish a specific benefit of manipulation over sham for migraine days. The jaw review concerns chronic TMD; neither study diagnoses a temple headache.
How we select and explain sources ↗Follow the evidence
Research, with context.
Published sources behind the discussion. Read the findings alongside the limits; a study is not a diagnosis or a promise of a result.
Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine: a three-armed, single-blinded, placebo, randomized controlled trial
104 people with migraine, assigned spinal manipulation, sham treatment or usual pharmacological management.
What it foundMigraine days decreased in all groups, with no significant between-group difference in the primary outcome. The authors considered the observed manipulation effect probably a placebo response.
What it cannot tell usThe trial was small. Secondary outcomes do not overturn the primary result, and a treatment trial of this size cannot establish the frequency of rare serious harms.
Publication details & citation
Chaibi et al. Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine: a three-armed, single-blinded, placebo, randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Neurology. 2017. DOI: 10.1111/ene.13166.
Read the publication recordManagement of chronic pain secondary to temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials
153 trials involving 8,713 participants contributed to the network analyses of chronic TMD pain.
What it foundAmong comparisons with more certain evidence, approaches supporting movement and coping improved pain. These included selected supervised exercises, mobilization and psychological approaches.
What it cannot tell usCertainty varied by treatment and outcome. Evidence about adverse events was low or very low certainty. This is not evidence for treating every headache or acute jaw injury.
Publication details & citation
Yao et al. Management of chronic pain secondary to temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ. 2023. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076226.
Read the publication record
Read our editorial policy for how sources and clinical review are identified.
Your next step
Bring your questions.
We’ll start there.
An assessment can help clarify the pattern, discuss suitable care, and identify when another clinician should be involved.
Anatomy: BodyParts3D, © DBCLS, CC BY 4.0. Model & rendering credits. Return to the full body explorer.