Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common condition reported by many people after a car accident, and it can be confusing for some doctors to identify the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has treated many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what triggers these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are oftentimes 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 issues in other parts of your body.
For example, 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 area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a collision are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller sees this very commonly in our Massillon, OH office.
Research Supports Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident
Research indicates that the root of many jaw or TMJ problems starts in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller will work to restore your spine back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller has found that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you reside in Massillon, OH and you've been injured in a car crash, Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2000, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (330) 833-2085 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.
