Temporo Mandibular Joint Dysfunction – TMJ is a common injury result seen in general whiplash situations. TMJ is the misalignment of the jaw. Often it is identifiable by a clicking or soreness of the jaw. When it is present there are medical steps that can be taken to deal with the situation.
TMJ can result from the rapid acceleration of body parts in a whiplash situation. The head is a very heavy object when compared with the neck and sits much like a bowling ball on a pencil. The principals of physics apply to these injury situations. Force equals mass times acceleration. Obviously the head has a greater mass than the neck.
TMJ can have other effects as well besides effecting one’s jaw. Headaches, sometimes severe, debilitating headaches, can result from TMJ. Today it is rarer for TMJ to go undiagnosed, but it still does happen and injury victims themselves should watch for the symptoms. At our firm, as we know TMJ can be a common by-product of injury situations, we always ask if the person has had the relevant symptoms.