Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common problem experienced by many people after a car wreck, and it can be challenging for some health practitioners to diagnose the root of the problem. Complicating the issue, many times you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Weary Chiropractic Clinic has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are frequently stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.
For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling or pins and needles in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a collision are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Weary Chiropractic Clinic sees this very commonly in our Prescott office.
Research indicates that the source of many jaw or TMJ symptoms begins in the cervical spine 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: Weary Chiropractic Clinic will work to return your spine back to health, reducing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Weary Chiropractic Clinic has found that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Prescott and you've been hurt in a crash, Weary Chiropractic Clinic can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 1982, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (928) 778-2227 for an appointment.
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.
Dr. Weary