Facial injuries from accidents are complex. More complex than most people realise.
The obvious stuff gets fixed first – broken bones, cuts that need stitches. But months later, people are still struggling. They can’t figure out why their neck hurts when it was their face that got injured. Or why they’re getting headaches. Or why eating a sandwich has become an ordeal.
The Hidden Impact of Facial Injuries
Think about it. Your jaw doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s connected to your skull through the TMJ (that joint right in front of your ear). The muscles that move your jaw? They share nerve pathways with your neck muscles. The whole system works together.
So when someone takes a hit to the face – whether from a car accident, sports injury, or fall – the impact travels. The neck often cops it too, even if there’s no direct injury there. Then compensation patterns start. You hold your head differently to avoid pain. You chew on one side. You tense your shoulders without realising.
Before long, the original injury has created a whole chain of problems.
Where Physiotherapy Fits In
This is where we come in. Not for the acute trauma – that’s for emergency departments and surgeons. But for what can come after.
The muscles around the jaw often go into lockdown after trauma. Protective spasm, we call it. Useful at first, problematic when it doesn’t let go. Manual therapy can help these muscles remember how to relax again.
Then there’s movement retraining. Sounds basic, but opening your mouth straight (not sliding off to one side) takes practice after injury. Same with turning your head without setting off jaw pain. Small movements, big difference.
We also check breathing. Why? Because pain changes how people breathe. Shallow breathing to avoid moving the area. Breath-holding when eating. These patterns stick around long after the injury heals.
The Dental Component
Here’s where it gets tricky. Facial trauma often means dental damage. Chipped teeth. Lost teeth. Damaged crowns or fillings. Sometimes the bite gets thrown off completely.
We can work on muscles and joints all day, but if someone’s avoiding chewing because of a broken tooth, or their bite’s off because of missing teeth, progress stalls. The dental issues and the movement issues feed into each other.
That’s why people often need both physiotherapy and dental work. Not just emergency dental care, but sometimes extensive reconstruction. To avoid any endorsement places like Complete Dental, Oral Surgery and Implants handle these complex cases – they’re a Newcastle practice (outside our state and have no connection to us) but they’re the type of facility that does everything from trauma repair to full reconstruction.
Timing Is Everything
Get the sequence wrong and recovery takes longer. Much longer.
Emergency care first, obviously. But then? Early physio can prevent chronic patterns forming. Gentle work while things are still healing. At the same time, dental assessment needs to happen. Even if they can’t do the work yet, knowing what’s needed helps everyone plan.
The worst outcomes? When people wait. “It’ll get better on its own.” Six months later, they’ve got chronic TMJ dysfunction, persistent headaches, and movement patterns that are now hardwired.
Making It Work
Best results happen when everyone talks to each other. When we know what dental work is planned, we can prepare the jaw for it. When dentists know about movement restrictions, they can work around them.
Sounds simple. In practice? Takes effort. But it’s worth it.
Red Flags
Some things can’t wait. Increasing pain. Can’t open your mouth properly. Bite feels wrong. Persistent headaches. Numbness or pins and needles.
These need immediate attention. Not next week. Now.
The Long Game
Facial trauma recovery is a journey. Not a sprint. The visible injuries heal relatively quickly. The functional recovery? That takes time, patience, and usually multiple professionals.
But people do recover. They get back to eating normally, moving comfortably, living without constant jaw and neck pain. It just takes the right approach and the right team.
At Specific Physiotherapy, we work with facial trauma cases regularly. We understand the connections between face, jaw, and neck. More importantly, we understand that recovery means different things to different people. Function. Comfort. Confidence. All of it matters.
Dealing with the aftermath of facial trauma? We can help with the movement and pain aspects of recovery. Get in touch to discuss your situation.
