Two recent studies provide more information on this problem as the relationship between injuries from whiplash and the pain of TMJ (The joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull), in the last few years, has gained much attention.

The relationship between the symptoms of TMJ and the mechanics of car accidents in the first study were examined in 219 patients after MVAs or motor vehicle accidents. It comes as no surprise that TMJ problems were more likely to occur as a result of collisions at a higher speed, than at lower speeds. Data also showed patients who'd had their head turned to either side when the collision occurred, or whose car was hit from behind, were at increased risk of TMJ pain. Almost 90 percent, or a large percentage of the TMJ patients, were female, as noted by the study. Sometimes, delayed onset was also an issue; at least 15 percent of those patients interviewed described their symptoms as developing one or more months after the accident occurred.

Then the same researchers undertook another study. This one focused on people who had been receiving TMJ treatment following a motor vehicle accident and had completed treatment. Phone interviews were conducted with 30 patients about their recent symptoms (if they had any), recent treatment, valid insurance claims and litigation - averaging 52 months following their accidents.

Seventy-three percent of those persons included in the research study had litigation or insurance claims that had been resolved by the time of the interview, which was, on average, 21 months earlier. But, 23 patients (76.7%) said they continued to feel symptoms from their injury, while 8 (26.7%) experienced jaw problems that influenced their everyday activities. Of these, only eight stated they experienced no more jaw pain, but two had experienced some pain in the prior three months, or since the settlement. There was no current neck pain reported by twenty-five, or 83.3 percent, of the patients, and headaches were reported by twenty-three, or 76.7 percent, of the patients.

Upon dividing the litigious patients from those whose litigation had been resolved, the researchers found there was little difference between the two groups. Strikingly, those whose litigation was settled actually reported more neck pain than those still in litigation.

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