Secrest Family Chiropractic: Headaches After an Auto Accident Injury

People experience headaches days or weeks after an auto accident injury. The accident may also amplify a headache one had before the car accident. Headaches and migraines can affect your daily life. Secrest Family Chiropractic in Scottsdale can treat your headaches after an auto accident.

Causes of Headaches and Migraines After a Car Accident 

Many things can cause headaches and migraines after a car accident. Some causes may not be immediately identifiable. The accident's force and impact affect the severity of the headache.

Types and Symptoms of Headaches 

The common headaches and migraines experienced after a car accident include: 

• Post-Traumatic Headache: Trauma to the neck or head causes this headache. It may be post-concussive or cervicogenic. The headache may also be from muscle spasms or pinching of the neck area's nerve roots. This headache appears weeks or days after the accident. 
• Post-Concussive Headache: This headache occurs because of a concussion that causes a chemical imbalance in the brain. It can cause other symptoms, such as nausea, light sensitivity, and sensitivity to some movements and smells. Other concussion symptoms are memory loss, irritability, confusion, depression, sleeping difficulties, anxiety, balance problems, dizziness, and ringing in the ears. 
• Spasm Headaches: This common headache occurs when one's head, neck, or upper back muscles get injured during a car accident. A sudden jolt on the head and neck during a car accident can damage or tear the soft tissue, causing spasm or strain of the muscles. Muscle spasms can cause headaches, inhibit one's range of motion, and cause swelling or redness of the affected area. 
• Whiplash Headache: This headache happens after a whiplash injury — caused by an abrupt knock to the neck or head. The knock forces one's head farther forward and backward. This jerking action strains the soft tissue. Whiplash headache occurs near the skull's base, and it may have other symptoms, such as fatigue, dizziness, and neck stiffness or pain. This headache appears days or weeks after the car accident.
• Fracture Headache: A fractured neck bone or skull can cause severe fracture headaches. One experiences this headache's pain at the injury site or the back of the head and neck. The bone fracture's extent and type affect the headache's intensity. You may also experience other symptoms, such as confusion, nausea, stiff neck, and slurred speech. 
• Pinched nerve or occipital neuralgia headache: The spine's compression or disc herniation can cause pinching of the neck's nerve roots or irritation of the nerve at the skull's base during an accident. The compressed nerves can cause tenderness, pain, numbness, burning, and tingling from the neck to the head's back.

How a Chiropractor Can Help You Relieve Headaches Caused by Accidents

A chiropractor can relieve your headaches. The headaches may be because of misalignments or tensions, and a chiropractic adjustment realigns the muscles. Treating the primary physical issue relieves the headache. The adjustment improves your range of motion, relaxes muscle spasms, and alleviates your headache.

Call Secrest Family Chiropractic Today

Secrest Family Chiropractic in Scottsdale offers chiropractic solutions to manage various physical conditions. We offer expert, affordable chiropractic services that satisfy our clients. Once you visit us after the auto accident injury, a chiropractor will examine your condition and recommend the best treatment. Visit us today to relieve your headache after a car accident. Call us today at 480-994-4411 to learn more or to schedule an appointment.