Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common condition reported by people after a car wreck, and it can be tough for some doctors to identify the cause of the problem. Complicating the issue, very often you won't develop TMJ symptoms until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Dr. Robert Ramsey has helped many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what triggers these types of symptoms. During a collision, the tissues in your neck are commonly 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, inflammation 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 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 wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Robert Ramsey sees this very often in our Gresham, OR office.
Research indicates that the root of many jaw or TMJ symptoms begins in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can fix the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Robert Ramsey will work to return your spine back to health, alleviating the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Robert Ramsey finds that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy condition.
If you reside in Gresham, OR and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Robert Ramsey can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 1997, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (503) 667-6744 for an appointment.
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. Robert Ramsey and the talented team at Gresham Family Chiropractic have been providing the best chiropractic care available to patients in Gresham, OR since 1997. We treat many conditions related to back pain, neck pain, headaches, and sciatica. Dr. Ramsey also specializes in the treatment of auto accident injuries and work injuries sustained on the job.
