Harleysville, PA TMJ Pain and Auto Injury

Jaw or TMJ pain is a fairly common problem reported by many people after a car accident, and it can be confusing for some doctors to identify the source of the problem. Complicating the issue, oftentimes you won't experience TMJ pain until many weeks or months after the original injury.

Dr. Szilagyi has treated many men and women with jaw pain after an injury, and the scientific research explains what triggers these types of problems. During a collision, the tissues in your neck are commonly 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 issues 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 wreck are very common because of neck injury, and the TMJ works the same way. Dr. Szilagyi sees this very often in our Harleysville, PA office.

Research Supports Chiropractic Lessens TMJ Pain After an Auto Accident

Research indicates that the source of many jaw or TMJ symptoms starts 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. Szilagyi will work to return your spine back to health, decreasing the inflammatory reaction, treating the injured tissues, and removing the irritation to the nerves in your spine.

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

If you reside in Harleysville, PA and you've been hurt in a car crash, Dr. Szilagyi can help. We've been treating auto injury patients since 2005, and we can most likely help you, too. Give our office a call today at (215) 256-4345 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.