By Frank E. Kaden, D.C. Chiropractic, Inc.
Jaw pain is a fairly common problem experienced by people after a car crash, and it can be confusing for some doctors to find the root of the problem. Complicating the matter, very often you won’t experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Dr. Kaden has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a crash, the tissues in your spine are commonly stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. 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 problems 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 jaw works the same way. Dr. Kaden sees this very commonly in our Redondo Beach office.
Research Proves Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Injury
Studies have shown 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 dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Kaden will work to restore your spine back to health, relieving the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Kaden has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you reside in Redondo Beach and you’ve been hurt in a crash, Dr. Kaden can help. We’ve been working with auto injury patients since 2005, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (310) 251-0862 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.
