"Is it normal to still have a headache a week after the accident?" It's a fair question, and the answer is a little bit of yes and a little bit of "let's make sure."
Not every headache starts in your head
A lot of post-crash headaches begin in the neck. The small joints and muscles at the top of your spine get strained when your head is jolted, and they can refer pain upward: behind the eyes, up the back of the skull, sometimes over one side of the forehead. People often describe it as a band, or a weight, or a dull ache that sits at the base of the head and creeps forward.
Add in clenched shoulders, a stiff neck, and a few nights of bad sleep, and it's easy to see why headaches pile up after a crash. Staring at a screen all day makes it worse. So does a long drive down I-205.
Clues that the neck might be involved
- The headache is worse after you've been sitting or looking down
- Turning your head or pressing on the base of the skull changes it
- Your neck is stiff or tender at the same time
- It started within a day or few of the crash
None of that is a diagnosis. It's a reason to have your neck examined by someone who can tell you what's going on.
Other things that feed a post-crash headache
The neck is rarely the only player. Jaw clenching is a big one, since many people grit their teeth through the stress of a crash and the days after, and that tension runs right up the sides of the head. Poor sleep makes headaches louder. So do skipped meals, too little water, and a change in your usual caffeine. Eye strain from a day at a screen adds to it. Untangling which of these matters most for you is part of what an exam is for.
The signs that mean stop reading and go to the ER
This is the part to take seriously. Go to an emergency room or call 911 if you have:
- A sudden, severe headache, or the worst headache of your life
- A headache that keeps getting worse
- Repeated vomiting
- Confusion, trouble speaking, or unusual sleepiness
- Weakness or numbness in your face, arm, or leg
- Vision changes, or a seizure
We don't diagnose or treat concussions here, and we're not the right first stop for any of the above. Our concussion red flags guide has a longer list.
What we look at
We'll ask when the headaches started, where they hurt, what makes them better or worse, and whether you had them before the crash, since an accident can aggravate an existing pattern. Then we check how your neck moves, find the tender spots, look at your posture, and screen for anything that points to a nerve being irritated. If something doesn't fit the picture of a neck-related headache, we'll refer you to a medical provider rather than stretching to make it fit.
How chiropractic care may fit in
Once more serious causes are ruled out, care for neck-related headaches often focuses on the neck itself. After an exam, a plan might include gentle adjustments for stiff joints, ultrasound or e-stim for the muscles that have clamped down, and traction when it makes sense for your neck (more in how cervical traction works). How much it helps depends on the cause, and we won't promise a number of visits or a result. If you're wondering whether chiropractic adjustments are safe, that post has the answer.
A few small habits that may help
Don't live at your desk. Get up every half hour, drop your shoulders, and look at something far away. Keep your phone at eye level instead of in your lap. Drink water. These won't fix a post-crash neck, but they keep you from adding fuel.
If you're in Milwaukie, Gladstone, or anywhere around Portland and the headaches are hanging on, read about how whiplash works and then give us a call. Our auto injury page covers the auto injury side, and the insurance page covers what we accept.
Headaches that won't quit?
Let us take a look at your neck. We'll tell you honestly what we find, and what we'd send elsewhere.