Chiropractic Therapy Can Ease Jaw Pain Related to TMJ After Auto Injury

Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly typical problem experienced by people after a car crash, and it can be confusing for some physicians to find the cause of the issue. Complicating the matter, very often you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.

Dr. Alpert has treated many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what triggers these types of symptoms. During a auto collision, the tissues in your neck are commonly stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can clearly 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 example, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or pins and needles in the arm or hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after auto accident are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Alpert sees this very frequently in our Jonesboro office.

Research Proves Chiropractic Therapy Lessens TMJ Pain After Auto Accident

Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Alpert will work to restore your spinal column back to health, reducing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Alpert finds that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy state.

If you live in Jonesboro and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Alpert can help. We've been working with auto injury patients for many years and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (770) 472-8989 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.