Headaches Afterwards Head Injuries — Post-Traumatic Headaches

Seymour Solomon, MD, Headache Unit, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Headaches After Head Injuries — Post-Traumatic Headaches

Headache immediately following a caput injury unremarkably clears after minutes or days but sometimes headaches may persist for months or rarely years. The long-term headaches are called post-traumatic or mail service-concussion headaches.

Ane can understand why headaches may follow a moderate or astringent injury to the brain such as a concussion (bruise) or laceration (tear). What has been more difficult to understand and has presented an ongoing controversy are chronic headaches post-obit mild caput injuries.

Mild injuries of the brain are characterized equally a concussion (a brief disturbance of brain office causing loss of consciousness or transient difficulty in thought processes).

Because the neurological examination subsequently mild head injury is normal and standard tests as well as imaging studies (such as MRI or CT of the head) similarly fail to reveal abnormalities, many idea that the symptoms following mild head injury were psychological.

Merely microscopic studies have shown disruption of the nervus fibers in the brain due to the stretching or shearing forces of the trauma. Other subtle changes have been noted in encephalon functioning.

The clinical features of post traumatic headache may vary from one private to another. Most headaches would be now classified as chronic tension-blazon headache. These headaches are typically a steady anguish affecting both sides of the head and occurring daily or well-nigh everyday. They are of slight to moderate intensity but intermittently, upon this base of low grade headache bouts of astringent or moderately severe headache may occur and these often are similar to, if non identical with migraine (ane sided throbbing pain associated with nausea and sensitivity to light and noise).

Unfortunately, people who experience post-traumatic headaches also experience other symptoms of the mail-traumatic or post-concussion syndrome. There may be other neurological symptoms such as dizziness, ringing in the ears, vague blurring of vision, psychological symptoms occur such as depression, anxiety, personality change, disturbance in slumber, and damage libido.

Finally, people with the post-concussion syndrome have changes in their mental functioning, primarily difficulty in concentration, inability to work efficiently and associated difficulty maintaining attending and retaining memory.

The handling of post-traumatic headache, as well as other features of the postal service-traumatic syndrome is symptomatic. That is each symptom is treated individually because, unfortunately, there is no medication that volition alter the underlying disturbance in the brain.

Near often handling of the chronic tension-type headache consists of such medications as the tricyclic antidepressants (for example amitriptyline). These agents not only diminish low but also decrease pain.

The periodic worsening of headaches, if they have characteristics of migraine, are treated with typical migraine medications (for example, sumatriptan for an astute assault).

Not-drug methods of therapy are likewise advisable. Good for you habits should be encouraged by elimination of nicotine and alcohol, by recommendations for regularity with regard to sleep and meal time and by exercise at least every other day. Relaxation techniques may exist helpful. These can exist learned by biofeedback techniques equally well equally by such methods equally meditation.

Last but not least is attention to psychological factors. The family, friends, and employer or teacher should be educated then the fact that headaches are not purely psychological but have a footing related to the disturbed structure and chemic functions of the brain. A psychologist may be helpful in teaching hurting coping techniques and in treating the psychological symptoms that are part of the mail service-traumatic syndrome.

Fortunately, most headaches following head injury gradually taper off within the beginning iii to 6 months. Even those unfortunate individuals who experience symptoms much longer can exist helped.

Please remember, we are not able to give medical or legal advice. If you have medical concerns, please consult your physician. All posted comments are the views and opinions of the poster just.

Posted on BrainLine Dec 15, 2008. Reviewed August 9, 2018.

Virtually the Author

Dr. Seymour Solomon is a neurologist in Bronx, New York and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the expanse, including Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and Montefiore Medical Middle. He received his medical degree from Medical College of Wisconsin and has been in practice for more than than twenty years. He is one of 41 doctors at Shush Rehabilitation Infirmary and one of 78 at Montefiore Medical Middle who specialize in Neurology.

From Help for Headaches. www.headache-help.org.