Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly typical condition reported by people after a car crash, and it can be confusing for some physicians to find the cause of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Sweeney Chiropractic has helped many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what produces 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 central nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause pain in other parts of your body.
For instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling or numbness in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a crash are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Sweeney Chiropractic sees this very frequently in our Nashville office.
Studies have shown that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms starts 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: Sweeney Chiropractic will work to return your spinal column back to health, relieving the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Sweeney Chiropractic finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Nashville and you've been injured in a car crash, Sweeney Chiropractic can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2004, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (615) 331-7040 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.
Dr. Jim Sweeney & Dr. Jon Sweeney, your Nashville Chiropractors and Palmer College of Chiropractic West graduates, provide quality chiropractic care to patients in Nashville, TN. If you suffer from back pain, neck pain, headache, sciatica or have been in an auto collision, Sweeney Chiropractic can get you back on the road to health.
