03 / Understand the area
Temple
Pain at the side of the head can be part of a headache pattern, a jaw problem, or something that needs medical attention.
An educational guide that covers the left and right sides alike. Where it hurts is a useful clue, but only a clue.
A useful starting point
What this area can tell you.
The temple sits just above the jaw muscles, so pointing to it can't tell migraine, tension-type headache and jaw pain apart. Timing usually tells us more than the spot: how long an episode lasts, if chewing hurts, sensitivity to light, and anything that's different from your usual headaches. Some people keep a short diary of those details, and you don't need to put a name on the headache yourself. Depending on the pattern, a dentist or a medical doctor may be the better place to start.
Notice the pattern
Three questions to bring with you.
You don't need to know what it is before you come in. These are details that help when you tell us what you're feeling.
- How long does an episode last, and is it different from headaches you've had before?
- Does chewing change the pain, or does your jaw feel tired or tender?
- Do light, sound, nausea or changes in your vision come with the pain?
When to get help sooner
New temple pain with a tender scalp or jaw pain when chewing needs an urgent medical assessment, 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 cover conditions and patterns that may overlap with this area. Think of them as a place to start our conversation: no body map can tell you which one, if any, you have.
What the studies found, and where they stop
How the research fits this area.
In the migraine trial, manipulation didn't show a specific benefit over a sham treatment for the number of migraine days. The jaw review looked at chronic TMD. Neither study can tell anyone what's causing a headache at the temple.
How we select and explain sources ↗Follow the evidence
Research, with context.
Selected published sources behind what we've written, each with what it found and what it can't tell us. We give you both halves because no paper can diagnose you or predict how your own care will go.
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 can't tell usIt was a small trial. Its secondary outcomes don't overturn the main result, and a trial this size is too small to show how often rare serious harms happen.
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 can't tell usCertainty varied by treatment and outcome, and evidence about adverse events was low or very low certainty. It isn't evidence for treating every headache or an 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
Our editorial policy explains how to read these sources and what our clinical-review labels mean.
Your next step
Bring your questions.
We’ll start there.
Your answers to those three questions are where we start. We go over your history and symptoms, examine you, and explain what we found before we recommend anything. If it turns out to be something another doctor should look at, we'll tell you.
Anatomy: BodyParts3D, © DBCLS, CC BY 4.0. Model & rendering credits. Return to the full body explorer.