Headaches after concussion occur when there has been a blunt trauma to the head or neck. This can be from a car accident or a neck injury, which is commonly referred to as “whiplash”. This type of head pain can also be the result of falling and hitting the head against an object, or intentional shaking or blunt force to the neck and head.
All of these lead to some kind of head pain because when the head is violently jolted, the brain bangs against the skull. This kind of violent jolting or banging thereby results in a bruise on the brain, which is known as a concussion.
This kind of trauma to the head can cause a variety of symptoms, one of which is a concussion headache. Luckily, there are numerous treatments and solutions to treat headaches after concussion.
How to Get Rid of Headaches After Concussion
First, the sufferer should be examined by a physician to ensure there isn’t a more serious injury on the brain. In some cases of extreme trauma to the head, there can be bleeding or swelling of the brain which causes pain that is similar to a headache. Doctors will often take a CT scan of the head to find the concussion headache location. Sometimes, they will do an MRI(1) as well, to ensure that it is only a concussion and not something worse.
After getting medical tests done, the individual symptoms need to be treated. Unfortunately, there is no cure-all treatment for headaches after concussion because brain injuries are extremely complex and vary from person to person.
However, be assured that pain from headaches is one of the most common symptoms and can be treated. When it comes to medication, which is one of the quickest ways to treat pain, the doctor may prescribe medication for migraines to eliminate the agony, or an anti-depressant to decrease the intensity of the pain.
Pain Severity
The sufferer should take an audit of their lifestyle when treating a concussion headache. This is because certain activities can exacerbate the pain you are already experiencing. For example, excess tobacco-smoking and drinking alcohol can increase the severity of headache pain. Lack of sleep and an unhealthy diet can also prolong healing. People who have busy lives and many commitments will often try to go straight back into their normal routines after this kind of injury occurs, but the number one healer of concussions is rest.
Therefore, lifestyle activities and commitments must wait while the sufferer rests in a comfortable, dark and cool place. Sometimes placing a cold, wet washcloth on the head can temporarily relieve the pain.
Since bright lights can be problematic when it comes to headaches, it is also recommended to avoid staring at cellular phone or telephone screens until the head pain subsides. This is because staring at screens can strain the eyes, which makes the pain worse.
Additional Treatments
Medication and rest are probably the two main treatments for headaches after concussion, but there are also other ways to treat this ailment.
For example, additional treatments include acupuncture and massage therapy. Since headaches can stretch down the neck and into the shoulders, it’s also important to not only focus on pain in the head during a treatment. Visiting a massage therapist can be beneficial to the muscles, as well as relaxing psychologically. This is especially important considering that the event that caused the head pain may have been quite emotionally disturbing and traumatic.
Massage and other remedies are also beneficial to a sufferer because reducing overall stress will also reduce tension in the head, which can cause tension headaches post-concussion, and lead to further agony.
It is also recommended to take magnesium and omega-3 fatty acid supplements to limit the frequency of headaches. As with almost any ailment of the body, it is also recommended to drink lots of water and stay hydrated.
Conclusion
In the above article, we have described what causes headaches after concussion, as well as some of the various treatment options.
To clarify, headaches after concussion can be treated alongside other concussion symptoms. To initiate a holistic treatment and recovery plan, you need to begin with being tested by a physician, and only then can you potentially be prescribed medication for the pain. As we’ve discussed, this can include migraine medication and anti-depressants.
As we also mentioned, a variety of at-home treatments exist too, and some of these include lots of rest, staying hydrated, massage and acupuncture, as well as decreasing your overall stress levels. Some supplements have also been suggested as a means to prevent further headaches from occuring.
To give you some hope, although headaches after concussion can be very intense and substantial, rest assured that it is a treatable condition.
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