Jaw pain is a fairly typical problem reported by people after a car accident, and it can be challenging for some doctors to identify the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, very often you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Dr. Dalton has treated many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a collision, the tissues in your spine are often 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, inflammation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.
For example, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause tingling 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. Dalton sees this very often in our Rochester Hills, MI office.
Research Proves Chiropractic Helps TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident
Research indicates that the source of many jaw or TMJ symptoms originates in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Dalton will work to return your spinal column back to health, decreasing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured tissues, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Dalton finds that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Rochester Hills, MI and you've been hurt in a crash, Dr. Dalton can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2002, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (248) 977-7039 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.
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Dr. Dalton
Chiropractors, often considered alternative or complementary medicine practitioners, are primary care doctors who focus on good health through proper nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle factors. The chiropractic philosophy is based on the idea that when nerves emerging from the spinal cord are compromised (known as a subluxation), the affected individual might experience pain, disability and an overall decrease in the quality of life.