| Headache after whiplash injury is common. After | | | | shoulders often provokes pain or spread of |
| neck pain it is the second commonest symptom | | | | symptoms upwards. There are often tender |
| that these patients experience. The cervical spine | | | | spots or trigger points in these muscles. |
| originating head pain can often outweigh the neck | | | | Women get pains in the head after whiplash injury |
| pain in terms of severity - particularly in the early | | | | more often than men - the reason for this is |
| weeks after injury. | | | | unclear but might relate to the smaller structures |
| Nearly two thirds of cervical spine injury patients | | | | of the female neck anatomy. |
| experience headache. About half of those who | | | | So what causes whiplash injury headache? Many |
| develop it after whiplash injury feel the pain in the | | | | research studies have looked to explain why this |
| back of their head, a further third get symptoms | | | | problem happens. It seems most likely that the |
| all over the head and a smaller number feel the | | | | situation arises from a mixture of inflammation in |
| whiplash related discomfort at their forehead or | | | | the neck muscles and irritation of the nerves that |
| behind their eyes. | | | | go from the neck, up and over the head. |
| Headache after whiplash injury often shows itself | | | | Research has shown that whiplash injury |
| for the first time on the morning after the | | | | headache can persist for a year or more in some |
| accident. The pain sweeps up from the neck and | | | | patients - but for most the head pain improves |
| over the back of the head. Most sufferers find | | | | within a month or two of the accident. |
| that heat on the back of the neck will ease the | | | | How should it be treated? Well, the research is |
| headache. Cold makes it worse. | | | | not good quality so there is no definitive answer |
| Neck movements often aggravate the problem - | | | | to this. In my experience the symptoms are |
| particularly if the neck is moved towards | | | | often quickly improved by hands on physical |
| extension: looking up to the ceiling is often very | | | | therapy or by acupuncture. Anti-inflammatory |
| painful. | | | | tablets help some patients and - for a minority of |
| Patients with whiplash related head pains often | | | | these patients - injections deep into the spinal |
| also get shoulder pain and touching the big | | | | tissues can transform the situation. |
| trapezius muscles over the back of the neck and | | | | |