Jaw pain is a fairly common condition experienced by many people after a car crash, and it can be challenging for some health practitioners to diagnose the root of the problem. Complicating the matter, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the accident.
Robert C Slater, DC has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what produces these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your spine are commonly stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can obviously cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, irritation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.
For example, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or numbness 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 jaw works the same way. Robert C Slater, DC sees this very commonly in our Highland Park, Saint Paul, Minnesota office.
Research Shows Chiropractic Helps TMJ Pain After an Auto Injury
Research indicates that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to resolving these symptoms is simple: Robert C Slater, DC will work to restore your spinal column back to health, alleviating the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Robert C Slater, DC finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy condition.
If you reside in Highland Park, Saint Paul, Minnesota and you've been injured in a car crash, Robert C Slater, DC can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 1980, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (651) 699-3366 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.
