Jaw pain is a fairly common condition reported by people after a car wreck, and it can be tough for some health practitioners to diagnose the source of the problem. Complicating the matter, many times you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after a crash.
Dr. Robert Ramsey has helped many individuals with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical literature explains what triggers these types of symptoms. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are commonly 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, inflammation 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 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 commonly in our Gresham, OR office.
Research shows that the root of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the neck and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The secret to resolving these symptoms is simple: Dr. Robert Ramsey will work to return your spine back to health, reducing the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.
Dr. Robert Ramsey has found that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we return your spine to its healthy condition.
If you live 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 most likely 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.
