This patient was involved in a motor vehicle accident 18 months before
her physician referred her to our office. She developed severe
headaches 2 weeks after her accident.
All x-rays and CatScans performed by her neurologist revealed no problems. Our x-rays
and examination revealed no TMJoint problems or craniofacial
deficiencies. However, she had severe headaches that nobody could
diagnose or treat for more than one year.
Many patients will develop this "closed head injury" type problem after
an accident. The brain tissue becomes a racquetball ball inside the
skull bone during trauma. It bounces around like a ping-pong ball
...even during low velocity crashes. It only takes about 9 mph to cause
brain injury and/or neck problems. Subsequently, the nervous system
becomes unbalanced and patients can enter into RSD (Reflex Sympathetic
Dystrophy). The sympathetic nervous system revs up and does not shut
down. The parasympathetic nervous sytem does not get a chance to work
and therefore the patient begins to break down.
Grinding, bruxing, clenching and abnormal muscle activity starts in the
muscles of the head and neck. This patient was treated with a simple
NTI device to "quiet" down her muscles and she was referred for
physical and occupational therapy to help get her life back. Her
headaches were gone within 3 weeks and she's finally back to work.
In a majority of the MVA patients that we see, there may be no signs of
distress or pain during the first few weeks to months after an
accident. However, headaches and joint damage can be noticed even years
later. This is due to the whiplash effects upon the joint itself or
upon the vertebrae of the neck.
Even mild trauma can tear the disk inside of the joint or between the
vertebrae, however if the damage is minimal the symptoms do not
manifest themselves for quite some time. It's like a rip in your socks.
A small rip get bigger and bigger over time. Same with a ligament or
disk in your body. That is the reason we tell all of our car accident
victims to avoid closing their insurance claim too early. Wait at least
2 years and make sure no symptoms of damage arises, or your insurance
will not cover the claim. It may take years for the damage to become
apparent on an MRI or x-ray.
Return to Photo Gallery
Michigan residents can obtain more TMJ Migraine Treatment information here.
|
