Jaw pain is a fairly common condition experienced by people after a car wreck, and it can be confusing for some physicians to diagnose the cause of the problem. Complicating the matter, many times you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after a crash.
Dr. Mark Holland has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific literature explains what triggers these types of problems. During a collision, 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 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 or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured area, 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 often in our North County, St. Louis, MO office.
Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Mark Holland will work to return your spinal column back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured tissues, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Mark Holland finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you live in North County, St. Louis, MO and you've been hurt in a car crash, Dr. Mark Holland can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 2000, and we can most likely 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.
