Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common problem reported by many people after a auto accident, and it can be tough for some doctors to diagnose the cause of the issue. Complicating the matter, many times you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Dr. Vinick has helped many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what produces these types of symptoms. During a car crash, the tissues in your spine are often stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can obviously cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause issues 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 and hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after auto accident are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Vinick sees this very frequently in our Redondo Beach office.
Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Vinick will work to restore your spine back to health, alleviating the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Vinick has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you live in Redondo Beach and you've been injured in a car crash, Dr. Vinick can help. We've been treating auto injury patients for many years and we can most likely 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.
Dr. Mark L. Vinick is both a Chiropractor and Holistic Doctor (Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist) in private practice in Redondo Beach, CA. He has successfully treated a wide variety of conditions based on his extensive knowledge of both modern and ancient healing sciences.
