Waldorf, MD TMJ Pain and Auto Injury

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 source of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't develop TMJ pain until many weeks or months after a crash.

Dr. Lipsitz has helped many people with jaw pain after an injury, and the medical research explains what causes these types of problems. During a crash, the tissues in your spine are oftentimes stretched or torn, causing ligament, muscle, or nerve injury. 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 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 area, like your head and jaw. Headaches after a collision are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Lipsitz sees this very commonly in our Waldorf, MD office.

Research shows that the root of many jaw or TMJ problems begins in the cervical spine and that treatment of the underlying neck problem can resolve the secondary headaches or jaw symptoms. The key to dealing with these symptoms is simple: Dr. Lipsitz will work to return your spinal column back to health, relieving the inflammation, treating the injured areas, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

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

If you live in Waldorf, MD and you've been injured in a crash, Dr. Lipsitz can help. We've been treating 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.

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.