Head & Brain Injury Advice and Resources

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Post-Concussive Headache

Seventy percent of people who suffer mild TBI develop. Such headache does not come from bruising of the brain itself, because the brain has no pain fibers. Post-concussive headache can come from bruising of the scalp; stretch injury to the pain nerves in the meninges (the membranes which cover the brain) or the occipital region where the head and neck meet; strain of the muscles in jaw, the neck or both; bulging or tearing of a cervical disc with cervical dysfunction; tension type headache from the stresses of living with a mild TBI; migraine – either newly caused or aggravated from pre-existing frequency or intensity; post-traumatic sinus infection; and even drug induced headache from treatment for your TBI.

Given the multiplicity of potential causes of post-concussive headache following a mild TBI, if you have persistent headache you are best off seeing a Board Certified Neurologist and a Board Certified Physiatrist or Pain Medicine Physician to get properly diagnosed and implement an effective treatment plan. Whichever doctor you use to treat your headache it’s important to work cooperatively, comply with medication recommendations, and keep the doctor promptly informed of any changes in your symptoms.