The jaw-dropping therapy that made LeAnn Rimes cry...

It was a striking moment that unsurprisingly went viral: the singer LeAnn Rimes receiving “jaw release therapy” and then being overcome with emotion.

- Jessica Burrell

The treatment, which involves massage and stretching from inside the mouth to release muscle tension, is used to treat neck and jaw pain, teeth grinding and headaches.

But as well as providing physical relief, it often also triggers significant emotional relief. This certainly seemed to be the case for Rimes, who was filmed sobbing with apparent elation during a session with Garry Lineham, co-founder of Human Garage. The California organisation focuses on fascial manoeuvres - small movements that target the connective tissue surrounding muscles, bones and joints.

"Jaw release is a simple, hands-on fascial technique that focuses on decompressing the tissues inside the mouth, particularly behind the molars where a significant amount of tension accumulates," says Lineham, commenting after Rimes's treatment did the rounds on social media. But why did it trigger an emotional outpouring - and does the therapy really offer "trauma release"?