Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common condition reported by many people after a car accident, and it can be hard for some health practitioners to find the root of the problem. Complicating the issue, very often you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after a crash.
Dr. Bogan has treated many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what produces these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are often stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can clearly 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 instance, 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 injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a collision are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Bogan sees this very frequently in our Tulsa office.
Research indicates that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms begins in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Bogan will work to return your spinal column back to health, alleviating the inflammation, treating the injured tissues, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Bogan has found that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy state.
If you live in Tulsa and you've been hurt in a crash, Dr. Bogan can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 1978, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (918) 832-7880 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. Fred Bogan provides quality chiropractic care to patients in Jenks, OK. Whether you're searching for effective pain relief or a way to boost whole body wellness, Alliance Chiropractic can help.
