Post-Traumatic Headache After TBI

Post-Traumatic Headache After TBI: BrainLine Talks with Dr. Nathan Zasler

BrainLine sat down with Dr. Nathan Zasler to talk about post-traumatic headache (PTHA), one of the most common complaints after traumatic head and brain injury (TBI). Dr. Zasler is an internationally respected neurorehabilitation physician who specializes in acquired brain injury and has a particular interest in post-traumatic pain disorders including headache.

BrainLine: What is post-traumatic headache, or PTHA?

Dr. Zasler: The term "post-traumatic headache" describes the most common complaint after brain injury: headaches. Unfortunately, PTHA is a "garbage-can" term — a catch-all phrase — because without a more specific diagnosis, PTHA simply states the obvious but doesn't tell you about the cause of the headache or how to treat it.

BrainLine: What types of headaches typically follow a TBI?

Dr. Zasler: There are several different types and causes of headache following a brain, head, or neck injury. The more you know about the various kinds of headache and their causes, the more informed you will be when talking with your doctor or specialist.

  • Tension Headaches — Tension-type headaches often feel as if your head is being squeezed by a vice at your temples — the sensitive spots at the side of the head between your ears and eyes. A decrease in tolerance for stress, decreased thinking efficiency and reserve, and depression are often associated with tension headaches.
  • Migraine or Neurovascular Headaches — Migraine headaches account for approximately 20 percent of PTHA (although many practitioners will debate this). Migraines are thought to be the result of changes in the blood flow inside the brain. The risk for migraines post-injury appears to be strongly genetically linked.
  • Cervical/Cervicogenic Headaches — This kind of PTHA is common after a brain injury and is usually related to neck injury involving ligament, muscle, and/or joint (facet) injury.
  • Musculoskeletal Headaches — Musculoskeletal headaches are often overlooked but are quite common after a TBI. Pain in the muscles or bones of the head, neck, shoulders, and/or jaw (see below) can be a source of head pain.
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disfunction — TMJD sometimes occurs after trauma and involves injury to the "chewing" muscles around the jaw, or to the jaw joints themselves leading to headaches typically experienced on the side of the head in the temple region(s).
  • Neuritic and Neuralgic Pain — Injury to the nerves in the scalp or larger nerves in the face (e.g. supra-orbital) and upper neck (e.g. greater occipital) from the trauma can result in head discomfort as well as headaches that may present with numbness, sensitivity, and/or shooting- or stabbing-type pains.

BrainLine: How common is PTHA after TBI? And when do these headaches start? Can there be a delay between the injury and the headaches?

Dr. Zasler: PTHA is one of the most common symptoms after a brain injury. In fact, approximately 70 percent of people who have had a mild TBI or concussion complain of PTHA. The catch is that PTHA is often not related to the brain injury itself, but rather to the other injuries sustained at the same time including trauma to the head, jaw, and/or neck. Most PTHA start within two weeks after the injury regardless of the cause of the headache pain; however, onset may be later with certain less common headache types.

BrainLine: How long does PTHA usually last after TBI?

Dr. Zasler: In medical circles, there is debate about this question. There is clearly evidence that PTHA can be chronic, especially if the headache types are tension or migraine headaches. However, it is very important to look at the cause of headache pain post-injury. Much of the literature on PTHA lump all the types of headaches together, which is a mistake since the more you know about the root cause of a headache post-trauma, the more effectively you can treat it.

BrainLine: What kind of information should you give your doctor to help him better understand your headaches?

Dr. Zasler: We all know that knowledge is power. And in this case, the more knowledge and information a doctor has about a person's injury and the nature of the PTHA, the more effective treatment he can offer. First of all, the doctor needs to understand the person's history. Make sure the doctor reviews your medical records including your imaging tests. Then he needs to take an adequate headache history, which should include among other inquiries questions expressed in the mnemonic COLDER:

Character — What the headache feels like
Onset — How the headache starts
Location — Where exactly the headache hurts
Duration — How long the headache lasts
Exacerbation — What makes the headache worse
Relief — What makes the headache less or better

The doctor will also want to ask when the PTHA started after the trauma; how severe and frequent the headaches are and whether the severity varies; what medicines have been effective, or not; and what the "functional consequences" of the headache are — meaning, can the person go to work or does he have to lie down and sleep in a dark room until the headache subsides?

BrainLine: What else should a doctor's evaluation entail?

Dr. Zasler: In addition to the medical and headache histories, the doctor will also want to perform appropriate neurological and musculoskeletal exams. This should include direct examinations of the face, head, neck, and upper spine and shoulder area. He may need to order further diagnostic tests. Finally, depending on the cause of the headache, the doctor may recommend any number of specialists, including a physiatrist (rehabilitation medicine physician), dentist or oromaxillofacial surgeon who specializes in TMJ problems, a neurologist, psychiatrist, physical therapist, and/or a pain management specialist.

You may also want to contact brain injury advocacy groups like the Brain Injury Association of America or one of its local state affiliates, which may have resources to help you find specialists in your area. Most importantly, when picking a specialist, make sure the specialist has experience with treating these types of headaches. Each person's headache disorder must be individually assessed and managed.

BrainLine: What questions should a person with headaches after a TBI ask the doctor?

Dr. Zasler: People experiencing headaches after a TBI should not settle for PTHA as their diagnosis. As mentioned above, PTHA is a catch-all phrase that doesn't give any particular clues about the headache's cause or how to treat it. If a doctor cannot give the person a more specific diagnosis based on the nature of the injury, the headache history, and the exam, then the person should keep seeking specialists who can be more specific about diagnosis and treatment.

BrainLine: How does a history of headaches before injury influence PTHA after TBI?

Dr. Zasler: A person's history prior to a brain injury can play a significant role. People who have a personal or family history of migraine or tension headaches, in particular, tend to experience even worse headaches after injury. Also, if a person has a genetic predisposition to headaches even if he has never experienced them, he would be at greater risk of having PTHA after trauma. Another risk factor for PTHA would be someone who had neck problems, like herniated disks or arthritis, prior to a brain injury.

BrainLine: What types of treatments are effective for PTHA?

Dr. Zasler: A person's PTHA treatment depends on what headache sub-type or headache combination he or she has. There are many available treatments or treatment combinations. They run the gamut from manual therapy work with a physical therapist or osteopath, to stress management intervention, to modalities like ultrasound or injection therapies such as nerve blocks, facet blocks, and trigger-point injections.

But again, each headache type or combination should be treated differently based on the cause of pain. For example, if you have damage to the nerves on your scalp (neuritic and neuralgic pain), treatment might include local nerve blocks that stop nerve cells from sending pain messages to the brain, electrical stimulation, treating muscle spasms, or acupuncture. A tension-type headache, on the other hand, would most likely be treated by medication or by non-medication approaches like cognitive behavioral therapies, relaxation therapy, or EMG biofeedback*.

* Biofeedback is a form of alternative medicine that involves measuring a person's bodily functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature and conveying the information to the patient in real-time. This knowledge raises the patient's awareness and conscious control of their unconscious physiological activities.

BrainLine: How does stress come into play with PTHA?

Dr. Zasler: As we all know, stress can negatively affect any facet of our lives. With PTHA, stress is like throwing fuel on an open fire. Therefore, stress management is crucial, especially for migraine and tension-type headaches. Some stress management therapies include stress inoculation training, relaxation therapy, and biofeedback. In fact, studies have shown that biofeedback is one of the most effective ways to treat certain types of headaches, though it can be labor-intensive and expensive.

BrainLine: What other symptoms may be related to PTHA?

Dr. Zasler: In addition to stress, other related symptoms of PTHA can include irritability, cognitive impairment, and difficulty sleeping.

BrainLine: What new research is being done to help people with PTHA?

Dr. Zasler: The good news is that there are a significant number of research studies being conducted on different headache types after TBI. I believe that in the next five to 10 years, we'll learn a good deal more about the different types of PTHA and will then be able to develop more targeted treatments. But above all else, treatment must always be individualized for each person.

BrainLine: Can you explain why making sure you get a specific or accurate diagnosis is so important?

Dr. Zasler: The issue — and danger — of mislabeling people should not be understated. Over the years, I have seen a lot of people who have been given the general label of PTHA. If they had been given a more specific diagnosis, they may have gotten the right treatment — and relief — sooner. I remember giving a talk about PTHA and describing a post-traumatic headache disorder called occipital neuralgia. I mentioned that with this kind of headache, a person might experience sharp, lightening-like pain and also pain behind one or both eyes. A woman in the audience spoke up saying that I had described exactly the kind of headache pain she continued to have even many years post-injury. She'd been diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic headache and had been treated unsuccessfully with a variety of migraine medications over the years. I examined her head and neck and applied pressure over the greater occipital nerve on the right side of her craniocervical junction. I knew from her headache description as well as from her reaction to my exam that she likely did not suffer from migraines, but from greater occipital neuralgia. Apparently, no one had ever asked her the right questions or done an appropriate exam. Had she been correctly diagnosed, she might have gotten relief sooner.

Nathan D. Zasler, MD, FAAPM&R, FAADEP, DAAPM, CBIST, is an internationally respected physician specialist in brain injury care and rehabilitation. He is CEO and Medical Director of the Concussion Care Centre of Virginia, an outpatient neurorehabilitation practice, as well as, Tree of Life, a living assistance and transitional neurorehabilitation program for persons with brain injury in Glen Allen, Virginia.

He is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and fellowship trained in brain injury. Dr. Zasler is a Clinical Professor of PM&R at VCU in Richmond, Virginia, as well as a Clinical Associate Professor of PM&R at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. He also serves as a consultant in neurorehabilitation to the Northeast Center for Special Care in New York. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians, and a diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. His main areas of clinical and research interest include neuromedical issues in acquired brain injury (particularly mild TBI, neuropsychopharmacology and low level neurologic states), differential diagnosis in acquired brain injury community-based care issues, as well as chronic pain rehabilitation including headache.

Dr. Zasler is a practicing clinician who is involved with community-based neurorehabilitation and neuromedical assessment and management of persons with brain injury, neurodisabililty, as well as chronic pain. www.tree-of-life.com.

Posted on BrainLine March 2, 2009. Reviewed July 27, 2018.

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Comments (74)

Please remember, we are not able to give medical or legal advice. If you have medical concerns, please consult your doctor. All posted comments are the views and opinions of the poster only.

I had a forceful wack to my head 5yrs ago I was picking up pine cones and unknown to me as I tripped I reached out to grad the tree branch hanging down in front of me the slipped from my hand and flicked back it happened so fast it flicked forward and smacked me on the fount of my head sending me flying back with force hitting the ground. Concussion pain in my neck Head for all these yrs only to find out yesterday after a bone scan I broke my Jaw still have head pain everyday

It’s such a shame that we have not come very far since this article written in 2009. Especially in the UK where our NHS clinicians bury it under the carpet. Even when you show them MRI images of the abnormalities caused by the injury! And to add Dr Zasler here is excellent in what he says, however, he has missed off another type of headache which is sinus headache. This injury can also affect the cribiform plate and deform the structure at the back of the nasal passage and can also cause CSF leak (the cause of yet another headache)

Any recommendations for good places to receive treatment? I was punched in the side of the head (right on my ear/jaw joint) by a guy who tried to mug me about 15 years ago. I've had lasting TMJ, headaches and so on ever since. I've visited an NHS oral surgery doctor to no avail. I've exhausted pretty much every option. I still have a near constant pain in/around my jaw joint and headaches most days. It's very debilitating. It appears that my left cheek bone pops out/cracks when pushed from the other side of my face (it becomes uncomfortable and momentarily feels better when I do this). Also there's a small hard lump beneath the jaw joint which is where the pain seems to stem from.

since my whiplash/head injury i get these quick, stabbing pains in all areas of my head !

Could taking a regular light dose of muscle relaxers for both months prior to and up to a concussion or T.B.I. predispose you to a worse outcome after a final accident? I'm told I may now be having seizures, months after my work related pedestrian truck accident. I was hit and fell backward . Months later I'm "falling" at work and witness says I smack my lips and get up, and return to work. Just started Keppra after 3 days in hospital after more "falls".

No response from anyone? Can taking muscle relaxers for months before a concussion and/or T.B.I. predispose you to a more complicated outcome? Very light dose Tizanidine and any NSAID seems to worsen my cognition, sleep, etc..

I don’t believe that taking these medications for any length of time prior to an accident will have any effect on the long term outcome of any newly acquired brain injury. The new (latest) brain injury in your case happened from a new injury from a fall, not from being a side effect of any of your medications. And while Tizanidine and NSAIDS have those negative short term effects when you take them, there is no evidence supporting that short term use of either would have any long term impact on your brain in any case. When you are speaking of a specific case of a newly acquired brain injury, you can apply this information and realize that it is not a factor in any way, of your outcomes. More likely lasting factors are the previous brain injuries and the accumulation of that trauma.

What genetic component towards migraines. I get terrible ones and they seem to be result of overstimulation. If I do too much. It’s a fine line. And with all my other impairments hard to gauge (memory, concentration, delirium). I suffered a traumatic brain injury 4 years ago (3 hemorrhages frontal, occipital, temporal). My family has no history of migraines, headaches or traumatic brain injuries (although obviously not genetic)

I’ve had a TBI for 4 years (3 hemorrhages).
I have no genetic link to migraines. Nobody in my family gets them or headaches.
What did the doctor mean? A genetic disposition after a head injury seems a contradictory statement in itself too.

One year ago a the corner of a couch hit my head on the right side of the occipital lobe I had a terrible experience healing stress crying every day for seven months anyway symptoms subsided but the spot that was hit is still tender my PCP looked at it under my hair he said it didn’t look bruised but it’s sensitive to touch I accidentally pushed on it a while ago and I have been having headaches on the right side of my head for about a week now. I never saw a neurologist but was prescribed gabapentin for sleep. The headaches usually start late afternoon and worsen until I take my gabapentin. Is this something I need to have imaged? Should I see my PCP again? Or wait it out walk it off?

I had a car crash 13 years ago. Ive suffered headaches for years. But until this past year,i have dealt with them. The pain is getting unbearable. My drs wont listen to me. I feel like they think the pain is only in my head. But its there its not a phatom pain. I just wish i could get back to how i was a year ago. I could deal with the small pain. But its getting too much for me alone.
We are trying topamax. Hopeful for some good results.
Have a great night everyone.

Hi Amanda, I was the victim of a serious assault and sustained many fractures to my head and face. I suspect similar injuries to yours. I have thankfully found a cranial osteopath who I see every 4 to 6 weeks. She has been a big help in managing my headaches and I recommend you find one. I sustained my injuries about 15 years ago and have managed them through diet and trying to manage my stress. I have recently been struggling with the pace of life and intent to make changes to my expectations of what I can achieve. Also I am going to explore acupuncture and tai chi. I have found meditation benefited me when I made time to do it. John cabat zin has excellent guided meditations and written an excellent book "full catastrophe living" specifically for using meditation to manage injuries and I'll health. I hope that you find a way to manage your pain but definitely speak to a cranial osteopath.

I suffered a TBI in a car accident 23 years ago and was diagnosed with PTH last year (first onset) through an MRI by my Neurologist. Mine last 2-3 days, come and go throughout that time frame and hit me thoughout my entire body but mainly in my head. I am on Migrane medication which has slowed them down. I had never looked into it before because I had never heard of it.

Hello, about two years ago someone hit me on the back of my head with their phone extremely hard. Till this day, that spot hurts very bad but not all the time. About two to three times a week different spots on my scalp are very sensitive to the point where if I even change the position of my hair, it’s severe pain. Do I have permanent nerve damage? What should I do?

I had pressure and headaches for 6 months now they have completely disappeared I also have a VP shunt. What do you think is wrong?

I have had three tbi. The first as a child from being hit by a car ending up with a plate in the left side of my head. The next two we’re behind the wheel . One in 2006 where I was rear ended at a red light. The other I had a seizure behind the wheel in 2015. I was left with seizures after the 2006 mva. Just before the 2006 mva I was having difficulty with the fifth trigrminal nerve headaches and face pain and had a surgery booked. 11 years later I had the same surgery when the same type of headaches started up right after the 2015 mva. I am three months post op from the surgery but am 2 years post mva. My qu stipn is I am still getting the same concussion type headaches in the forehead and over on the left side of my head where the plate is and where I struck my head in the mva rollover. How long should these post headaches continue ? My neuragial headaches are gone since the surgery. I had to wait so long for the surgery because my neurologist retired and I was unaware of this and I had to wait 18 months for a new neurologist. I did in the mean time just ask my GP for a refural to the surgeon when I almost was OD on seizure drugs and neuralgia drugs being too closely related to each other. A the end of my ropes

Security hit in the temple with rock fought while passing out woke up intermittently during fight. Head punched into concrete wall within seconds of first. Neck damaged. 24/7 headache every type, vertigo, memory lose, nausea and fatigue 25 months ago. All normal scans show nothing. Can't work like this. Any suggestions?

I fell & slipped in dec. 2016, in January I started having headaches over my left eye near the temple. Had a brain scan all clear, still having headaches, & pain in the same area. What should I do! Please help!

I suffered a TBI in December 2014. I was declared disabled in March 2015. Have experienced Post symptoms ever since. But recently have been having sharp pains (versus headaches) at the concussion site on my forehead. Seems to be associated with stress. Does this kind of pain require a scan?
Can someone please tell me they have post concussion syndrome and have shooting pains in their body ( anywhere ) please cause I do not want to have chronic pain at 15 😭
Hi I was in a motor cycle crash in 2009 fractured my skull in three spots and my neck in c2 c3 and c4 my head aches started right away but my neck didn't start hurting till 2011 and its the worst pain​ I've ever felt it Hurt's more them my migraines and my doctor says all we can do is burn the nerves in my neck once a year and pain meds for chronic pain is it normal for symptoms like my neck to take a while before they show up
I can relate to that anwer, there is nothing worse than head pain. Ice is the only solution for me, heat aggravates and feels uncomfortable.

Gabapentin helps my icepick headaches.  Nothing else works. 

I am experiencing the same situation after being TBI in October 22nd 2014 from a motorcycle incident. Words that I am trying to say turn into similar ones sometimes but aren't always correct. Example, my ears feel tickling. (Instead of tingling) Is this going to continue? Stabbing feelings in a temple plus the same side of the injury periodically. Tinnitus also. My hearing is fine with me so I am wondering if the TBI could eventually cause hearing loss.

I suffered a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage 7 years ago and had brain surgery to sort it. My head felt clear as a bell for about a year afterwards, but then returned to "normal". 6 months or so ago I realised I had a headache, of some varying degrees, at some time every day. Not usually bad enough to take pain killers. My doctor said it was "cluster headaches", quite common. Then one day, they just stopped.   But for the last few days, I've had stabbing pain in the area of the surgery, left side near my eye. I looked up this type of pain (and it is VERY painful), and it sounds like "icepick headaches ". They only last 10/20 seconds (luckily) at a time, but they are becoming more frequent. I had some tissue etc removed from this area of my temple, when I had the surgery, and have a bit of a dip in this area. I just wonder if it's anything to do with this. Has anyone else had this type of surgery and problem?

I would get a 2nd opinion...

Yes! I have the heat problem too. But mine is directly in the center of my head, and hurts like hell. Also, my face and eyes have swollen. I haven't found any help or relief yet. I got a concussion on 10/28 but was only diagnosed last week. Amytriptaline made headaches so much worse.

I have been to so many neurologists. I have 3 different migraines, TBI, post traumatic ADHD. I also have herniated discs in my neck and back, The thing I don't understand is why is there so much heat coming off the back of my head? It is so hot I have to rinse the washcloth every few minutes to get it cold again. My face gets swollen especially my right eye. I have to put cold washcloths on my face too, does anyone else experience this ? Thank you

If I have to one more neurologist tell me, you should be glad you are alive. I've had severe neurological pain (they have no name for them so this is what they call them) everyday since 2/14/1998. They had to remove 5 cm by 17 cm of my brain because my skull was crushed into it. Today I'm a nurse and refuse to let any neurologist or neuropsychologist tell me what I can't do. After I had graduated college with 2 degrees I had to have a neuropsychological tell me my memory was "borderline retarded". So what?? I can't tell you the same 25 numbers backward and forwards? I can do my job with anything needed to "help out my disability". Yes, some days are just plain crappy but who doesn't have one of those days.

I feel for all the people who suffer with headaches because I have had one for 8 to 10 years straight. I had a motorcycle accident in 1998 and doctors and my neurologist said my side effects may worsen in years to come.Well that was true.I was traveling about 45 mph and tried to split the railroad tracks.my back tire hit one of the tracks and sent me head first into the steal gravel and cross-ties. Without a helmet on that's a pretty rough lick. I was flown by med helicopter to hospital where I spent a little over a month in a coma then I woke up in a rehab center where I had to learn to walk talk and all that good stuff.another month was spent in and out of contiousness.anyway I have had a terrible struggle with my head hurting starting about ten years ago.my family life has been brought down to me trying to provide for my family of five on disability from the government which only pays about 700 per month.Like I said it has been a struggle my wife of 16 years has decided she doesn't want to live like this with me anymore.My three children will probably suffer more than I have.If that is possible but that's enough of the woe is me stuff because life goes on.I have been stuck ( 38 shots of botox)and prodded by every type doctor within a 100 mile loop and no relief other than pain meds and that type life I wouldn't recommend to anyone.After about 5 years the pain meds become terrible to make sure you get the relief you need.anyway I hope everyone will keep their head up and keep fighting the struggle because it is real.headaches suck!! My faith in God and prayers sent his way are the only way I keep going these days!! There is a lot more to my story but I've just skipped over to make readable.

I was in a MVA in august 2015 while at work. My whole situation was handled VERY poorly. Initial hospital only worried about broken neck or back and when they didn't find either of those I was told to find my own transportation to a city hospital for plastic surgery. My face went through the side window of my truck and cut my face in half, shattered my right sinus bone and fractured my right orbital along with a severe concussion. Since then I've had severe nerve pain in my face, severe migraine headaches, dizziness, balance issues and memory problems. These are an everyday occurrence and the headaches are there from the time I wake up till I go to bed and made significantly worse by light, noise and busy environments, all the while WSIB/WCB is trying to tell me it's all psychological issues and not real problems despite several doctors reports supporting my post concussion symptoms. It's been almost a year and it still feels like day 1. I guess this is typical WCB tactics and they really need to change their attitude towards traumatic brain injuries. It feels like I'm being re- victimized by the system and now need to pursue legal action against them. I wish people and insurance companies would educate themselves on this type of injury and deal with it properly instead of pushing it off as psychological problems and re-victimizing the people who endure this type of injury.

Sometimes the best medication is from hearing from others. It has been a year plus since being rear ended in a vehicle accident. I have convergence insufficiency with TBI. With my eye condition and TBI as said creates fatigue/vision problems. I will be receiving prism glasses to help with vision/fatigue of the eyes. My TBI has me just or more concerned and with reading the previous post, it looks to be a much longer road to recovery than I was expected. I feel my TBI has worsened over the past year. Again hearing from others makes me realize that I am not imagining my problems with the TBI. I have seen neuro specialists but with not much help. Thanks to brainline it has kept me grounded and much guidance to my TBI. Thanks much!

Hi, I was in auto accident 3 plus years. I received therapies ( O.T., S.P., P.T. ) and regained a lot that my brain damage needed to fix ( find a new route ), yet I suffer head pain. I agree we need more time to understand head pain/aches. I personally never had headaches. So this was new, my eyes and brain have to fight the pain. Share stabbing and explosions are happening. Laying in dark with ear plugs and a sand bag helped me some. I felt like if only a vise grip would work, but no that was not the answer. It was and is hard to explain pain, but with (where sometimes can help ) a good doctor, Mine is a great neruo muscular Dr. Tracy Riddle in Traverse City Michigan, she's been great and listens well. I also have had Vision Therapy, since my Left eye keeps crossing, making it difficult to focus very long. And lost driving ability still. However with much therapy, and with prism glasses it helps. But still head pain if watching things move to fast or close up too long, then rest is needed. I get extreme exhaustion and must lay down / shut down. This may help others whom find it hard to explain pain. I am on muscle relaxers and blood pressure pills, they are needed and help a lot. Thank you for sharing everyone. Sincerely, Gailann

@Sarah, your kind words most definitely resonate with me. I was in a car accident 8 years ago, and things continue to get a little worse. It wasn't until I took a 9 week mindfulness based stress reduction course that I began to view my pain from another perspective..

I have heard of daith ear piercings to help with migraines! I was in a severe car accident about 3 years ago, almost died, had a severe TBI & several other serious injuries! Very blessed to still be here & not be so much worse than I could be! I suffer from horrible migraines now and I have talked with several people, taken imitrex, botox injections, none of these seem to help so I heard about daith piercings! I know a few people who have done them, & they say they help, may not completely go away but less intense! So, I'm thinking of getting these piercings done and if they help I will be so thrilled!! I get migraines that last about 5 days!!!!😭😭😭😠😠😠

I recommend giving arnica homeopathic pellets 30c a try because this medication helps with bruises,pains,etc.

I started meditation every day when I had migraines from a concussion. Pain became tolerable because I learned to "be with it" rather than resist and struggle. Anyone who has endured the pain of post concussion syndrome should feel compassion. The suffering that one endures only should evoke compassion and a deep sense of caring. My heart goes out to those who have long term symptoms as I do. I have hope that time, rest and quiet will continue to heal. Kindly, Sarah

Brock- Hello, I was in a coma for 9 days after getting punched and my head hit the pavement I've handle my headaches through meditation and water on my head when feeling over heated or sore. I also smoke cigarettes which doesn't help I need to quit but water, meditation and sleep has helped for my case I hope anyone reading this finds their own way I assume everyone handles it different

i was mugged in aug 2016 and now almost two years later still have chronic headaches. this kinda depresses me b/c it is a constant reminder that my head was one night smashed into concrete and i was "out of consciousness" for about 36 hours and in the hospital for 10 days in a row in nyc...I am glad to see i am not the only one and after reading this I am even more impressed by the resilience of human spirit that we can somehow all try and get past our unfortunate situations. at the moment, ample rest and sometimes ice is the only thing that helps me now but I am considering going to see a specialist soon.... the headaches come and go, some days they are really nasty until about 2pm in afternoon. i truly hold a special place for everyone in this forum although we have never met - I know what you are going through ... at least I think i do ....

After suffering a concussion one year four months and five days ago this damn headache won't go away . Sought treatment from WCB and it was a joke, they put me on physio for a month then told me the headache was in my head . They cant measure the headache so it became a non compensatable injury . After over 16 months with a constant headache im desperate to find an answer . Any suggestions that helped you guys .

I'm glad I found this article.  I had a fistula form in back of my left eye, out of the blue.  I had an angio cath done and two coils inserted.  For two years straight, I had an on-going headache.  Actually, I could feel the left side of my brain in my head and it hurt constantly.  In addition to that, my scalp has hurt as well on the left side of my head from the top of my head and my forehead.  I quit complaining about my headaches to my doctor because she told me I shouldn't be having headaches anymore and asked me if I was using drugs I shouldn't be.  Two and a half years of suffering from this when something could have been done.  I feel extra stupid now.  It's been a miserable two years.

I fell off a high wall about 2 months ago , I hit the left side of my head very hard and had very bad bruising , after about 2 weeks I started to get severe headaches to the left side of my head the side that I hit. I've been getting them ever since but only to that one side of my head , what should I do ??

I suffered a traumatic brain injury in December 2012 and for the last few years have had major problems with my eyes and ears not registering to my brain and severe headaches and dizziness and have had a few seizures to which just happen without any warning. Have seen a few different types of doctors but don't feel any better. Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I was in a bad wreck in 93 and lost 8oz of my brain. I have seizers. Every once and a while i have a sharp pain in the area of my head. It hurts so bad and the only thing that helps is a heating pad. Does anyone have any other ideas to ease the pain? Thank u

For several months, following my craniotomy, my head ached, incessantly; of course, the aches and pains, eventually, did subside and I was able to move on. Of course, the fact that my growth spurt caused me to outgrow my shunt led me to experience massively sharp pains; but, that occurred less than 6 months after craniotomy. After the shunt was replaced ,my headaches stopped and my cognitive and motor skills resurged. Since then, I've graduated high school, taken a BA in Creative Writing and, most recently, using voice recognition software, I took an M.Ed. in Writing, using my amplified crystal memory to allow me to tutor other students. My use of voice recognition software has literally re-strengthened my short-term-memory so profoundly that I am working successfully as a tutor of higher education writers and am able to do things, more normally, than I ever thought would be possible for me to do, following my 15th hemorrhage. Please contact me, at: mattramzzz@comcast.net or www.Facebook.com/mattramzzz1971

My son is 10 years old and had a concussion at age 8 then 7 weeks ago had a fall off a riding lawnmower and had his second concussion. From that time on he has had horrible migraines everyday. The pain he feels is not always the same. Sometimes he feels as if his legs are being chopped off, tingling in the arms and legs. Chest pain and abdomen pain. He is always dizzy and nauseous. 2 weeks ago he was in the hospital and got DHE treatment and the headaches went away for 3 days but on the fourth day they returned. He also has pain in the jaw, teeth, neck and shoulders. Maybe as you explained it was from the fall and where he hit. His current Dr said this are too many symptoms and are not real but I know my child and he is not making this up. His mood had changed a lot from being very irrtable and mad to depressed because he can't function with the daily things as going to school or playing soccer like he did before the accident. If he runs a little and plays like 10 year olds do the migraines come on and that's the end of his day. He has a hard time sleeping it has affected his whole life. Please give more information I need help because this is not a way to live.

I've read the aftermath symptoms but am not sure if I'm finding a pain I'm having. I was stabbed in the head 18 yrs. ago and get frequent awful headaches. I've been coping with these but also get a very tender, sore feeling in that same area sporadically. Is this from my injury or something new?

I was hit in the front right temple by another head during cheerleading. Our heads collided while we were catching a flyer. This was 6 months ago, I was excused from my semester of classes because I missed too much class and I couldn't catch up. I am now back at school and I've been receiving extremely sever headaches with a pain in my nose. My family doctor setup another appointment for me because he thinks I need to go see a neurologist. I normally get a headache everyday. It could be the severe cold weather though too. But I've been getting headaches ever since my concussion. I live in Canada so it's pretty severe here. I don't think I'll be able to handle missing more school because due to my concussion already I have to work twice as hard just to graduate with the test of my class next year. I have to do online classes, summer classes, a dual credit (high school and college.) it's frustrating and stressful. I just want things to go back to normal. Can someone please just tell me what the pain in my nose is telling me?

I am s/p crainiotomy June 2014 and crainioplasty November 2014. I have continual h/a's some are stabbing pain but radiate all over my head, I am not drug seeking, but I want it fixed its very depressing living like this daily

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