March 02, 2020
Lincoln TMJ Pain and Auto Injury
Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common problem experienced by many people after a car crash, and it can be confusing for some doctors to diagnose the cause of the problem. Complicating the matter, many times you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after a crash.
Dr. Kallio has treated many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a collision, the tissues in your neck are frequently stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. This can obviously 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 instance, with radicular pain, irritation of a nerve can cause prickling or numbness in the arm and hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injury, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Kallio sees this very commonly in our Lincoln office.
Research Supports Chiropractic Helps TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident
Studies have shown that the source of many jaw or TMJ symptoms starts in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Kallio will work to return your spine back to health, reducing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Kallio has found that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you live in Lincoln and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Kallio can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2009, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (402) 484-5166 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.
