Jaw pain is a fairly common problem experienced by many people after a car wreck, and it can be challenging for some health practitioners to diagnose the cause of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the accident.
Dr. Holland has treated many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what produces these types of symptoms. During a crash, the tissues in your neck 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, irritation of the nerves can cause problems in other parts of your body.
For instance, 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 injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Holland sees this very frequently in our Downtown St. Louis, MO office.
Research shows that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Holland will work to return your spinal column back to health, decreasing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Holland has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Downtown St. Louis, MO and you've been injured in a car crash, Dr. Holland 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 (314) 588-9100 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.
We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.
