What You Need to Know About Post-Traumatic Headaches

Headaches are a common after-effect following injuries to the head or neck. A mild knock to the head or a whiplash injury can result in headaches that can last for months or even years.

Effects After an Head Injury

After a head injury, you may experience some or all of the following: headaches, dizziness, difficulty in sleeping, difficulty in concentration, mood swings and changes in personality.

Duration of Headaches

The headaches will gradually stop occurring and be less painful after quite some time has passed. The headaches will be completely gone after a period of six months to a year since the time you had your head injury.

Probable Causes of Headaches

Muscle contraction is usually the main reason for chronic or long lasting headaches, particularly in the neck and scalp areas, after a head injury. This contraction may pinch nerves or enlarge blood vessels, which in turn press on the nerves in the brain.

In some cases, a trauma to the head can trigger vascular or blood supply changes. A major trauma that damages blood vessels will cause the blood supply to re-route and create a new path for itself. This will result in a vascular headache, which feels like it is pulsating, and is very similar to a migraine.

Rebound Headaches

It is quite common for a person to keep taking painkillers in order to get relief from persistent headaches. While taking painkillers may prove beneficial short-term, your body becomes used to the painkillers over a period a time, reducing the effectiveness of the medications. However, if you try to get off the painkillers, rebound headaches may occur, and in order to stop the rebound headaches, you need to take more painkillers. This unhealthy cycle often becomes an addiction to pain medication.

It's All in the Head

If you are suffering from post-traumatic headaches, your psychological state should not be overlooked. The head is probably the most important part of our body, and so it is understandable for people to be terrified of having a head injury more than any other part of the body. A trauma to the head can be quite devastating, not only for the injured person, but also for their families and loved ones, as it can eventually bring about feelings of worry, terror and resentment.

If you continue to have headaches long after the injury has passed, it is only natural that you develop anxiety and go into depression. It is understandable if you have thoughts that your head has been damaged beyond repair and you can never be the same. However, this anxiety is not helpful, as it can only make the muscles tense in the neck, scalp and shoulders, which in turn will bring about more headaches.

Getting Help

It is highly recommended that you see your doctor, as he will understand that feeling down after sustaining a head injury is quite common and will be able to help you. Your pain medication will most probably be changed, with tranquilizers or antidepressants added to help get you out of the slump for a little while.

For more help on the prevention, treatment and remedies for migraines please see the Complete Guide To Migraine Headaches.