Do you have a headache that just won’t seem to go away? Or a headache that seems to be getting worse as the days go by? If you’ve been in a car accident recently and are experiencing headaches like these then you may want to see a car accident doctor in Tucker to get checked out for a possible car accident injury. Headaches are common symptoms of car accident injuries to the head and neck so it is important that you take them seriously and see a doctor to find out if it’s a sign of something more serious going on in your body.
Car Accident Injuries and Headache Symptoms
Head and neck injuries are common in a car accident because of how the body gets shaken up upon impact with another vehicle or roadside structure. While a seatbelt can help keep most of your body restrained and safe from too much excess movement upon impact, your head and neck can get jostled around and this can cause car accident injuries.
Whiplash
Did you know that whiplash is actually the most common car accident injury? That’s because of how easy it is for your head and neck to get jolted and jerked around with the force of the accident. Especially in fender-benders and rear-end collisions, your head may snap forward and then backward suddenly and forcefully upon impact with the other vehicle. Even low-speed car accidents can cause whiplash injury. This causes the muscles in your neck to strain out of their normal range of motion and can even damage the spine in your neck and upper back.
Whiplash symptoms can be tricky to identify because they don’t always show up right away. In fact, one of the first symptoms you might notice with a whiplash injury may be a headache. Other symptoms of whiplash may be delayed and show up in the hours and even days after the accident. These symptoms may include sore neck muscles that get stiff and make turning your head from side to side painful and difficult. Spinal injuries like a herniated disc can also happen with whiplash, which can lead to nerve pain and discomfort if a slipped disc is putting pressure on a nearby nerve.
Concussion
When the force of the accident shakes around your head and neck, it is possible to get a concussion. A concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury and can occur when the head is violently shaken or when it suffers a hard hit. In a car accident, you may hit your head on the steering wheel, dashboard, window, or another part of the car. Whether you were shaken up or hit your head hard during the accident, it is possible to develop a concussion.
Concussions are also tricky because their symptoms can be delayed and show up in hours and days after a car accident. Headaches are a common symptom of a concussion and you may even notice a headache that gets worse over time. When you get a concussion, that means your brain was shaken or jostled around hard enough that it hit the skull, which can cause bruising. This leads to headaches, which are a sign of actual pain in your head. Other symptoms of concussions can show up gradually and include being disoriented, confused, dizzy, nauseous, and even loss of consciousness after the initial blow to the head. If you experience any of these symptoms you should see a car accident doctor in Tucker right away to get checked out for a possible concussion.
Treating Head and Neck Injuries
In order to relieve your headache pain for good, your car accident doctor will first need to identify the injury causing your headaches. Car accident doctors in Tucker at AICA Orthopedics will use diagnostic imaging tools like X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs to get a clearer picture of how your head and neck were affected by the accident. Diagnostic imaging paired with a physical examination and discussion of your symptoms will help your doctor determine the specific type of car accident injury you are suffering from so they can develop the most accurate treatment approach.
There are short-term ways to manage headache pain like over-the-counter medications but in order to experience lasting relief, your doctor must treat the injury itself. Car accident doctors in Tucker will develop an individualized treatment plan that addresses your specific injury and symptoms so you can experience lasting pain relief and healing. Visit us online to learn more about how our car accident doctors can help you experience lasting relief from headaches after a car accident.