Jaw pain is a fairly typical condition reported by many people after a car wreck, and it can be tough for some physicians to diagnose the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, oftentimes you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.
Dr. Robert Ramsey has treated 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 often stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. 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 pain 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 injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a collision are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Robert Ramsey sees this very commonly in our Gresham, OR office.
Research indicates that the source of many jaw or TMJ symptoms originates in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck injury can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The trick to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Robert Ramsey will work to return your spine back to health, alleviating the inflammation, treating the injured tissues, 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 state.
If you live in Gresham, OR and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Robert Ramsey can help. We've been working with 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 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. 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.
