Orofacial Neuralgia Following Whiplash-Associated Trauma: Case Reports and Literature Review

Abstract

Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) has a close relationship to and functional linkage with the neck and jaw. Studies show an association between orofacial pain and cervical pain and confirm intersegmental nociceptive connections between the trigeminal regions and the cervical spine. We present six cases of WAD-associated orofacial neuralgia. The objective of this study is to present a series of cases of neuralgia-like pain following WAD. Six cases of WAD-associated orofacial neuralgic pain are presented. Neuralgia was identified based upon history, examination, and successful pain management with specific medications for neuralgia. Five out of the six cases were initially diagnosed and treated with limited efficacy as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) with continuing pain and were subsequently diagnosed and treated with efficacy as trigeminal neuralgia. MRI and CT scan may suggest cervical spine changes mostly at C2–3, C3–4, and C5–6. Traditional therapy for musculoskeletal pain had no impact upon orofacial pain in patients with neuralgia-like pain following WAD. These cases show that development of neuralgia-like pain may have delayed onset following WAD. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of neuralgia were confirmed upon control of pain with use of carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine. To our knowledge, these cases represent the first report of WAD-related orofacial neuralgia and suggest the potential for neuralgia-like pain to occur following WAD and that clinical diagnosis is needed to lead to effective therapy.