Jaw pain is a fairly common condition experienced by people after a car crash, and it can be hard for some health practitioners to diagnose the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the accident.
Dr. Helton has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a auto injury, the tissues in your neck are frequently 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, irritation of the nerves can cause issues in other parts of your body.
For example, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or numbness in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after car crash are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Helton sees this very frequently in our Portland 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 resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Helton will work to restore your spinal column back to health, decreasing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and lessening the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Helton has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you reside in Portland and you've been injured in a car crash, Dr. Helton 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 (503) 771-1974 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. Helton, a Portland chiropractor, has been providing chiropractic health care and treatment for accident injuries for over 30 years. Dr. Helton specializes and is an expert in the evaluation and treatment of injuries from auto accidents. He has passed advanced certification training and testing by the Spine Research Institute of San Diego in the evaluation, treatment, and management of injuries from whiplash and brain traumatology.
