The Head and Neck Diagnostic Center serves as a
resource to which you may refer patients suffering from Temporomandibular
(craniomandibular) joint dysfunction and related diseases, as well as patients with
unresolved head, neck and facial pain.
The concepts of treatment and treatment protocol used
at the Center have helped thousands of sufferers over the years, many of whom had been
considered hopeless. It is assumed that when a patient is referred to the Center
that they have been evaluated medically and that there have been no significant findings
or resolution through treatment with respect to their presenting symptoms.
The most important part of any successful treatment is,
of course, the diagnosis which precedes it. With the understanding of the mechanism
at the root cause of the pain, an appropriate approach can be designed to address the
problem. The diagnosis of Temporomandibular dysfunction is not one of solely of
exclusion of other possibilities, but instead is one which is based on history, symptom
relationships, and objective muscle, occlusal and functional findings. Specific
types of radiographic imaging and computer diagnostic techniques, if indicated, are also used in
the evaluation.
The diagnosis of head, neck and facial pain is further
complicated by the fact that there can be multiple co-existent causes for the symptoms in
a given patient. TMJ problems can co-exist with migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, and
sinusitis to name a few common causes of head pain. To further complicate matters,
it is well known that TMJ dysfunction pain can mimic any and all of the above
diseases. It also has the ability to trigger and intensify the pain symptoms from
co-existent problems. It is through co-therapy that these patients, some of whom
are considered hopeless, can be best helped.
An example of the diagnostic confusion is the case
where the patient suffers from a combination of true migraine and Temporomandibular joint
dysfunction syndrome. The patient may present with prodome followed by severe head
pain. After diagnosis of migraine, the appropriate instructions and mediation is
given. In this patient, however, the pain does not subside. The mechanism in
effect here is that the patient is suffering head pain from two different causes: migraine
and TMJ. The migraine treatment may very well be working, but the TMJ component,
untouched by that treatment continues to generate pain. The patient, unable to
differentiate between the two types of pain relates that he/she has received no relief
from the treatment.
It has been our experience, at the Center, that when
the TMJ component of a multi-causal headache is removed, the other treatment regimens
become much more effective.
The Head and Neck Diagnostic Center is happy to accept
your referrals for these problems.
