Jaw pain is a fairly common problem experienced by many people after a car crash, and it can be confusing for some physicians to identify the source of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the incident.
Sweeney Chiropractic has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific literature explains what triggers these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your spine are frequently stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. 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 example, 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 injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Sweeney Chiropractic sees this very frequently in our Nashville office.
Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems originates in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Sweeney Chiropractic will work to return your spine back to health, alleviating 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 return your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Nashville and you've been hurt in a car crash, Sweeney Chiropractic can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2004, and we can probably 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.
