Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common problem reported by many people after a car crash, and it can be hard for some physicians to find the cause of the problem. Complicating the issue, very often you won't experience TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the accident.
Dr. Vinick has helped 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 oftentimes stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your central nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause problems 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 crash are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Vinick sees this very often in our Redondo Beach office.
Studies have shown that the root of many jaw or TMJ problems originates in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Vinick will work to restore your spine back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured tissues, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Vinick finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you reside in Redondo Beach and you've been hurt in a car crash, Dr. Vinick can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 1987, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (310) 375-4325 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.
