Car accidents are a leading cause of many different types of pain and dysfunction and a common reason that someone seeks chiropractic care. Symptoms following a car accident may include neck pain, lower back pain, headache, shoulder pain, leg pain, dizziness/vertigo, and concussion just to name a few. The one we will be focusing on in this blog is headache.
There are two main causes of headache following a car accident: whiplash injuries and blunt trauma. The most likely injury resulting from a car accident is a whiplash injury. A whiplash injury is caused when your head is whipped forward and backward or side to side as a result of impact. The whipping of the head on the neck will strain the muscles and sprain the ligaments in the neck which can lead to pain in the head. The mechanical injury to the neck can also lead to head pain. Blunt trauma, such as striking your head on the headrest, window, door, or windshield, can cause a headache from the physical impact to the head.
There are multiple types of headaches that may result from a car accident. Tension headaches arise from the muscle strain related to whiplash. The muscles in the neck are injured and tighten leaving other muscles to compensate and become overworked leading to an increase in tension in the neck and head. These types of headaches are common following car accidents and are treated effectively by chiropractic care.
Another type of headache that is treated effectively by chiropractic care is the cervicogenic headache. Cervicogenic headaches are secondary to dysfunction in the neck. Injuries to the neck like whiplash can cause decreases in range of motion and trigger points to form in the muscles leading to pain in the head. Often adjustments to the neck will resolve these headaches.
Migraine headaches may also develop following a car accident, whether you have suffered from them before the accident or not. There are two types of migraines: classic and common. Classic migraines are preceded by an aura or a visual disturbance. An aura could be tunnel vision, seeing spots, seeing flashes of light, having sensitivity to light or blurred vision. Auras can start minutes before the onset of the migraine to several hours before. Common migraines do not have an associated aura. A common misconception is that a migraine is just a bad headache, but a migraine is diagnosed by specific symptoms. Some of those symptoms include pain on one side of the head, sensitivity to light and/or sound, nausea, fatigue, lightheadedness, and blurred vision.
If you are involved in a car accident and are suffering from headaches, chiropractic care can help. Chiropractic care will help to resolve the underlying cause of the headache instead of just covering up the symptoms like medications. Dr. Shea Stark is skilled and experienced in treating and resolving headaches. Call today!
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Visiting a Sports Chiropractor instead of a traditional chiropractor is a great idea for athletes and beginners alike. Sports chiropractic is specifically aimed at the treatment and prevention of injuries in sports, in addition to managing everyday aches and pains. If you’re just starting a workout plan after a long period of inactivity, schedule a consultation with Dr. Stark for an evaluation and guidance so you can work out with confidence and direction.
Dr. Stark is a Sports Chiropractor and a certified EMT in North Houston.
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