TMJ Pain Helped by Chiropractic Care

On December 1, 2021, an article was published in the Australian Spinal Research Foundation's journal covering the case of a young girl who was suffering with TMJ being helped by chiropractic. The original case study was published on March 5, 2021, in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic.

The foundation's article begins by explaining, "One of the beauties of chiropractic is that, in some cases, it provides a drug-free, surgery-free health care option. However, usually when we think of this, we think of back and neck pain. A new case report published in the Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic has brought a new option to the fore – chiropractic co-management of an acute jaw injury."

In this case, a 12-year-old girl was injured during a volleyball match. The study reports that the girl received a strike to the right side of her jaw. Immediately following the injury, the girl experienced severe pain where she had been hit and over her left TMJ. The pain was so severe that the girl was unable to open her mouth, and she was taken to a dentist where panoramic dental x-rays were performed. A CT scan was later performed and ruled out any fracture.

The dental care the girl was given included ibuprofen and physical therapy. This helped the right side of her jaw. However, her left side continued to get worse. She was unable to open her mouth enough to eat solid food and could not smile, yawn or brush her teeth. The girl rated her pain as 8 out of 10 with 10 being the worst. The injury was severe enough that surgical intervention was unavoidable. However, to help with the significant pain, the girl's oral surgeon referred her to a chiropractor.

A chiropractic examination was performed which showed the presence of vertebral subluxations. From the findings, chiropractic care was started. Progression was steady with the girl's pain reducing from 8/10 down to a 4/10 after two weeks. She could still only open her mouth slightly and could take in liquids and soft food.

After her oral surgery, chiropractic care was continued. Two weeks after her surgery, re-examinations were performed by both the girl's oral surgeon and her chiropractor. Both doctors confirmed that the girl had improved, had no pain or swelling and was able to open her mouth normally. She was then able to engage in normal activities.

The article seems to have summed up the results of this case study by stating, "In this case, surgery could not be avoided, but chiropractic care in the lead up to surgery and post-surgery appears to have offered much in terms of pain and swelling management, and recovery from surgery."