Post-traumatic headaches are headaches initiated from head or neck injury, such as in a whiplash-type injury or blow to the head. The resulting headache varies from person to person. Most commonly, the resulting post-traumatic headache is one of the following:
- post-traumatic cervicogenic headache
- post-traumatic muscle tension headache
- post-traumatic migraine headache
- post-traumatic cluster headache
- post-traumatic vascular headache
The most favorable outcomes are seen with those who seek early treatment. It's also important immediately following any head trauma to rule out subdural hematoma, a potentially fatal condition caused by intracranial bleeding. Chiropractors frequently treat post-traumatic headaches and do so with success.
Again, individuals should be warned that relying on analgesics to remedy post-traumatic headaches does nothing to correct the cause of the headache and generally worsens the headache in what's known as the "rebound effect". See "Drug-Induced Headaches" below for more information.