Jaw pain is a fairly common problem reported by many people after a car wreck, and it can be confusing for some health practitioners to diagnose the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, very often you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after a crash.
Dr. Mark Holland has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a collision, the tissues in your spine are oftentimes 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, irritation 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 injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Mark Holland sees this very commonly in our North County, St. Louis, MO office.
Research shows that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms originates in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Mark 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. Mark Holland finds that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you reside in North County, St. Louis, MO and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Mark 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) 867-8888 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.
