Jaw pain is a fairly typical problem reported by many people after a car accident, and it can be tough for some physicians to diagnose the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.
TJ Delorie has treated many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what triggers these types of symptoms. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are often stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your central nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause problems in other parts of your body.
For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling or numbness in the arm and hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. TJ Delorie sees this very often in our Olympia office.
Research Proves Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident
Studies have shown that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to dealing with these symptoms is simple: TJ Delorie will work to restore your spinal column back to health, alleviating the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
TJ Delorie finds that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you reside in Olympia and you've been injured in a crash, TJ Delorie can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2002, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at 724-123-1234 for an appointment or consultation.
Ciancaglini R, Testa M, Radaelli G. Association of neck pain with symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction in the general adult population. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 1999;31:17-22.
Brantingham JW, Cassa TK, Bonnefin D, Pribicevic M, Robb A, et al. Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a system review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(3):143-201.