Jaw pain is a fairly common problem experienced by people after a car accident, and it can be tough for some physicians to find the root of the problem. Complicating the matter, many times you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the accident.
Dr. Blake has helped many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what triggers these types of symptoms. During a collision, 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 prickling 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 collision are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Blake sees this very frequently in our Harrisburg office.
Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems originates in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Blake will work to restore your spinal column back to health, decreasing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Blake finds that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy condition.
If you live in Harrisburg and you've been hurt in a car crash, Dr. Blake can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 1983, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (717) 657-2561 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.
Trust the medical professionals at Blake Chiropractic & Rehab for all of your chiropractic needs. We have more than 26 years of experience and work to ensure your complete satisfaction. Our staff is dedicated to providing top-quality chiropractic care, so make an appointment today. We are conveniently located right off Route 22, beside the Colonial Park Fire Department, and accept most major insurance plans.
