TMJ Pain Relief with Chiropractic After Auto Accident

Chiropractic Eases Jaw Pain After Auto Injury in Arlington

Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly typical condition experienced by people after a auto accident, and it can be tough for some doctors to identify the source of the problem. Complicating the issue, very often you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the incident.

Dr. Ernst has helped many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what produces these types of symptoms. During a car crash, the tissues in your neck are frequently stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can obviously cause pain in the neck and back, but since your central 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 tingling or pins and needles in the arm and hand. Similarly, it can affect parts of your body above the injured tissues, like your head and jaw. Headaches after auto injury are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Ernst sees this very often in our Arlington office.

Research Supports Chiropractic Therapy Helps TMJ Pain After Car Crash

Research shows that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems originates in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Ernst will work to return your spine back to health, reducing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Ernst has found that jaw and headache symptoms often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.

If you live in Arlington and you've been hurt in a crash, Dr. Ernst can help. We've been treating auto injury patients for many years and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (360) 659-8464 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.