Patients with headache immediately following trauma should of course be evaluated by a physician or in the emergency room, but chronic headaches resulting from previous trauma are unfortunately quite common. Such headaches may arise following an episode of head or neck trauma and can be an unrelenting reminder of such traumatic events.
There are almost 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries in the United States every year, and the most common complaint following these injuries is headache. The most common post-traumatic headache resembles a migraine headache with a similar array of symptoms and distribution of pain. While many patients experience spontaneous resolution of their post-traumatic headache in the months following their trauma, a persistent post-traumatic headache can be a debilitating condition. Other post-concussion symptoms may cloud the diagnosis and treatment of chronic head pain.
These headaches can be caused by a variety of post-traumatic problems, but a subset of these patients have headaches following an injury mechanism such as whiplash or other sudden movement. These injuries can cause inflammation or constriction of the nerves in the head, back of the neck, or base of the skull. These post-traumatic headache patients can often be helped by surgical release of these nerves.
For more information on post traumatic headaches or to schedule an appointment with Migraine Surgery Specialty Center, give us a call today at 805-969-9004. Our practice serves Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas of California.
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