Headache
Post-Traumatic Headache
Post-Traumatic Headaches after a car accident are common complaints and can come from many sources. An individual who suffers from headaches before an auto accident may find their headaches have become more painful or consistent. Others may not experience a headache until a few hours, days, or even a week after an auto accident. A headache after a car wreck can be caused by many things, and a visit with our physicians at Injury-Care Center can help determine the cause and help alleviate your pain.
Common Types of Headache
There are many ways in which a passenger can become injured in a car accident that results in persistent or painful headaches. The most common reasons are a blow or strike to the head, or whiplash. The severity of the headache can depend greatly on the impact and force exerted during the accident. While there are many injuries that can cause headaches following a car accident, certain injuries are more likely to occur and cause pain than others. These are listed below
Post-Traumatic Headache
This type of headache is usually caused by trauma to the head and neck during an auto accident. Usually this type of headache does not appear for days or weeks following the accident.
Migraine Headache
Migraine headaches associated with concussion are a chemical phenomenon in the brain, and are often associated with nausea (sometimes with vomiting), light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and also sensitivity to certain smells and movement.
Spasm Headache
One of the most common causes of headaches after a car wreck, is caused when the muscles of the neck, head, or upper back are injured. Especially during an auto accident, a sudden jolt on the neck and head can tear or injure the soft tissue, causing strain or spasm of the muscles.
Whiplash Headache
Whiplash is a common injury of motor vehicle accidents, caused by a sudden force upon the head and neck. The head is often forced far forward and far backwards, and this jerking action can strain soft tissue. Whiplash headaches generally are focused near the base of the skull, and may accompany neck pain or stiffness, dizziness, and fatigue.
Occipital Neuralgia Headache
During an accident, it is possible that the compression of the spine or disc herniation results in a pinching of the upper cervical (neck) nerve roots or irritation of the greater occipital nerve (nerve at the base of the skull). When these nerves are compressed, a person experiences pain, tenderness, burning, numbness, and tingling from the neck/base of the skull up the back of the head.
