Massage techniques to relieve painful or swollen salivary glands

The parotid glands are located in the upper part of each cheek, close to the ear, and secretions from the glands have to pass through a complex pattern of ductwork. The parotid glands are encapsulated and have a thick fibrous coating. These glands can become obstructed with a mucus plug or stones in the ducts and cause swelling, pain and damage to the ducts.

Therefore, it is very important to keep the flow of saliva moving and good way to encourage flow of saliva is by massaging the glands.

For parotid glands, place two fingers behind the ear and slide them forward along cheek, while applying gentle pressure.

For the submandibular/sublingual glands, place two fingers under the jaw and slide them forward, along the edge of the jaw line to promote flow of saliva into floor of the mouth.

These are self-applied massage techniques that can help to keep saliva flowing. Warm compresses can be used to soothe painful glands.