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The jaw joint or TMJ is a common area of injury
with whiplash. The most common symptoms include popping or cracking in the joint
that wasn't there before the car accident, pain in the jaw with chewing, and
headaches.
Most people have simple sprains of the ligaments in the joint. A
lot of people have problems with the joint because of
problems with
posture. A forward head posture after whiplash is common because of
straightening of the neck. When this happens, the muscles of
the jaw that were designed for chewing, start trying to hold the head up! As you
might imagine, this hurts!
Another common syndrome related to TMJ is weakness in the
longus colli. These muscles help stabilize the neck on a
segment by segment basis and are frequently injured in a whiplash injury. When
they're weak, they cause the strap muscles and
SCM in front of the
neck to overwork and pull on the TMJ joint.
A very small number of patients have injuries to the disc inside the
joint. When this occurs, it usually means longer term problems.
Treatment can include: a splint made by a dentist, pain meds,
physical therapy focused on the jaw and upper part of the neck,
chiropractic,
acupuncture,
trigger point injections, and
posture
exercises. The vast minority of patients require surgery. Get a second
opinion before proceeding with TMJ surgery as the results can be everything from great to
disastrous.
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