HEADACHE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT IN ORANGE COUNTY
Headaches or Head Pain are Among the Most Common Symptoms After a Car Accident
After an accident, it is very common to have a headache immediately. Some headaches linger for a few days then resolve. However, many accident victims suffer long lasting and sometime debilitating pain in their head.
Headache can be a sign of neck damage or concussion (it’s often both)
Let’s assume you do not have a history of chronic or recurring headaches. You have not been diagnosed with migraines or other headaches before your accident.
Mild Self-Limiting Headache Immediately After Collision
After an accident you may feel a mild headache above your eyes or in the back of the head. If it goes away after a day or so and doesn’t return, it is most likely a result of being jerked in the collision. So if no other symptoms show up, it’s probably a self limited headache.
Headaches that Linger After an Accident
Cervicogenic Headaches – Pain from the Neck to the Head
However, if your head pain lasts more than a day, your pain may be referred from the neck. Your spinal bones are held together by ligaments and supported by muscles. Automobile collisions can do damage to these structures even at low speeds. For example, a collision that barely causes a scratch on your bumper is enough force to tear a neck ligament.
Neck muscles and ligaments can become injured. After, the spinal bones are not well-supported and can assume improper positioning. This causes pain. Pain in the neck and often, the head. The headache can be located at the top of your head, above the eyes, at the temples or at the back of your skull.
A cervicogenic headache usually does not affect your vision. Also, these headaches are not usually associated with being very sensitive to light or cause dizziness. Additionally, this type of headache may be temporarily relieved with applications of heat and ice.
Concussion Headaches – Pain From Inside Your Head
Importantly, after a car crash your doctor will want to check you for signs of concussion. In fact, there are specific physical exam procedures an experienced Car Accident Doctor can perform to detect injury to the brain. Also, you may be asked to complete questionnaires that can show symptoms of concussion.
Acute concussion headaches are hard to distinguish from acute headaches caused by neck damage. However, a key feature of concussion head pain is sensitivity to light and noise. Being in bright sunlight or a brightly lit room will make the headache worse or even make you want to vomit. Similarly, intolerance to normal sound levels may also indicate a brain problem. Asking people to talk lower or avoiding the phone because it is too loud are common complaints.
Dizziness, drowsiness, nausea (without vomiting), blurry vision, difficulty focusing eyes, difficulty thinking, feeling like head is in a cloud or the sensation of being under water are all common concussion symptoms.
Headaches That Need Immediate Work Up In the Emergency Room
- Headache immediately following known blow to the head (side of car door frame, head restraint, other passenger, airbag, flying object from seats, etc)
- Severe pain that makes you vomit
- Headache with moderate to severe drowsiness (great difficulty staying awake during day)
- Feeling confused or out of sorts
- One sided severe pulsing, throbbing headache or sharp pains on side/front of neck radiating up into the head with a pulsing headache
The Type of Headache Your Have Dictates What Treatment You Need to Recover
Clearly, Cervicogenic headaches are most helped by resolving the underlying neck damage. Concussion headache treatment involves reducing swelling around the brain and promoting healing. Undoubtedly, a well-trained car accident injury specialist will know which treatments to administer to help you.
The First Step is an Accurate Diagnosis.
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Disclaimer: I am not your doctor and this information is for educational purposes only and cannot replace the advice from a doctor you have a relationship with. If you have suffered an accident and have headaches or other pains, consult a doctor immediately.