Waldorf, MD TMJ Pain and Auto Injury

Jaw pain is a fairly typical condition reported by many people after a car crash, and it can be challenging for some doctors to diagnose the root of the problem. Complicating the matter, oftentimes you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.

Dr. Lipsitz has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what causes these types of symptoms. During a crash, the tissues in your neck are frequently stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve damage. This can clearly cause pain in the neck and back, but since your nervous system is one functioning unit, inflammation of the nerves can cause pain 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 collision are very common because of neck injury, and the jaw works the same way. Dr. Lipsitz sees this very often in our Waldorf, MD office.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps TMJ Pain After an Auto Injury

Research indicates that the source of many jaw or TMJ problems starts in the cervical spine 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. Lipsitz will work to restore your spine back to health, reducing the inflammation, treating the injured tissues, and eliminating the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

Dr. Lipsitz finds that jaw and headache issues often resolve once we restore your spine to its healthy condition.

If you live in Waldorf, MD and you've been injured in a car crash, Dr. Lipsitz can help. We've been working with auto injury patients since 2006, and we can probably help you, too. Give our office a call today at (301) 645-8898 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.