Post Whiplash Headaches
A post-whiplash headache is a chronic headache that has progressed after a whiplash incident. Whiplash is a neck injury caused by a violent back-and-forth jerking of the neck. Nearly 80 percent of people who experience whiplash develop a chronic headache, also known as cervicogenic or neck-related headache.
How post-whiplash headache develops is not fully understood. A physician may not be able to identify the specific cause of the headache.
Post-whiplash headache may be associated with damaged joints or disks in your neck. It can also stem from inflammation in ligaments and soft tissues.
Post-whiplash headache may appear immediately after a neck injury, or it may develop at a later time. Post-whiplash headache often seems to begin at the base of the skull and radiate upwards to the top of the head. Moreover, the headache may persist for years after the whiplash incident.
Treatment may involve medications, physical therapy, and other methods. Your healthcare provider can create a care plan that is right for your needs.
Symptoms to Expect with Post-Whiplash Headaches
People who experience headaches after a whiplash injury will frequently experience pain in the back of the head at the point where the head meets the neck. This pain may radiate to various other parts of the head like the temples, the top of the head, the front of the head, or down the neck. The pain may be recurring or constant. Pain may also increase while texting, reading, using a computer monitor, or when moving your neck.
These headaches may be accompanied by dizziness, nausea, or a spinning sensation. The medical term for these headaches is cervicogenic headaches. A cervicogenic headache is a pain felt in the head which has developed in the neck.
Other symptoms of post-whiplash headache include neck pain and stiffness, loss of range of motion in the neck, tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back, or arm pain or tingling or numbness in the arms, and fatigue.
Why Whiplash Injuries Can Cause Chronic Headaches
A whiplash incident can result in various types of injuries. Sprains or strains can arise when the ligaments and tendons in the upper neck are overstretched. This commonly causes headaches.
Ordinarily, symptoms from sprain or strain will resolve themselves within 6-8 weeks. If symptoms persist, it is likely a sign of a more severe injury.
Roughly 80% of headaches following a whiplash event are the result of an upper joint injury in the neck. These joints are referred to as facet joints. The sudden and extreme back-and-forth motion of whiplash can injure the cervical facet joints, causing inflammation and irritation of the nerves in the brainstem and spinal cord.
It is estimated that about one out of five post-whiplash headaches is due to a disc injury in the upper neck.
How Are Post-Whiplash Headaches Diagnosed?
When evaluating a patient for possible post-whiplash headache, the most important consideration is time. If the headache was principally caused by a sprain or strain, it will normally resolve itself within 6–8 weeks. However, if pain persists beyond 6-8 weeks, further investigation is required in order to get a correct diagnosis.
A physical examination will reveal a characteristic pain pattern for the patient. More than likely, an MRI will be performed to check if a disc herniation is present. If no disc herniation is discovered, further diagnostic testing will be performed to look for a facet injury (a facet injury cannot be easily identified with an MRI).
This entails performing a diagnostic injection at the facet joint. This injection is referred to as a medial branch block. A medial branch block will anesthetize the joint for approximately 5 hours. If the patient’s pain is relieved during this period it is easy to conclude that the headaches are caused by a whiplash facet injury.
Recommended Treatments for Post-Whiplash Headaches in Florida
In Florida, the first step in treating post-whiplash headache is physical therapy which includes neck exercises. While a sprain or strain will resolve itself on its own, therapy and exercising will quicken improvement. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, and supplements can also help expedite recovery.
If the patient has a facet joint injury or a disc injury that is constantly causing pain and disability, more robust treatment methods will be necessary. This may take place in the form of injections or some type of minimally invasive surgical procedure.
In Florida, there are several options for treating post-whiplash headaches. In some cases, a doctor may use one or more specialized spinal injections to treat the cause of the pain. There are three common spinal injection options.
Cervical Medial Branch Block
A cervical medial branch block is a diagnostic procedure used to determine if a particular cervical facet joint is the source of a patient’s pain.
Cervical Facet Injection
A cervical facet joint injection involves injecting a small amount of local anesthetic or steroid medication which will block the pain. The pain relief from a facet joint injection is intended to help a patient better tolerate a physical therapy routine to rehabilitate an injury.
Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection
A cervical epidural steroid injection directly places cortisone steroid medicine into the area of the spine that surrounds the inflamed nerves. This medication may help reduce nerve root inflammation and relieve the associated pain.
There are also several minimally invasive surgical procedures that may be used to treat post-whiplash headaches.
Cervical Rhizotomy
A cervical facet rhizotomy is designed to provide pain relief by cutting off the pain signals that the nerves send to the brain. This procedure is only used on patients who have already had diagnostic injections (medial branch blocks) and have pinpointed the exact source of their pain.
Endoscopic Facet Debridement
Debridement is the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue intended to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue around a facet. It is usually performed with a specialized laser.
Endoscopic Anterior Cervical Discectomy
This procedure is designed to remove lumbar herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord and causing pain.
In some cases, radiofrequency treatment of the medial branch nerves may be considered. This is a procedure that can provide pain relief for a longer period of time, perhaps one year or longer.
Is Surgery Ever Required?
Post-whiplash headache treatment seldom requires surgery. Surgery is only considered in severe cases if pain persists after non-surgical treatments have not succeeded. If this is the case, surgery may be your best viable option.
Your surgeon will consult with you and recommend the best surgical procedure for your situation. You should be prepared to ask all pertinent questions regarding the procedure so that you fully understand how the surgery is performed, what the surgery is intended to do, recovery specifics, and any other concerns. Whether you get surgery or not is a personal decision.
Schedule A Whiplash Injury Consultation
If you or a loved one has experienced a post-whiplash accident with lingering and debilitation symptoms that is unresponsive to other forms of treatment, it is of the utmost importance that you schedule a surgical consultation. Brain damage can lead to life-long complications, disability, and death if left untreated.
Schedule your consultation using the form on the right side of this page or call us at 888-411-6824.