A Kansas City, Missouri, auto accident can certainly give you a headache. There’s the stress, the property damage, and the general life interruption, assuming that you don’t have to go to the hospital with severe injuries. Yet, sometimes, these auto accident headaches are much worse than you think at first. You may experience migraine headaches or you may experience headaches that have a more sinister cause. Sometimes, headaches that follow auto accidents will even come with other symptoms, such as disturbance in your vision, dizziness and vertigo, nausea and vomiting, and more. When a headache follows a Kansas City, Missouri, auto accident, you need to find out exactly what is causing it.
Your Kansas City, Missouri, Auto Accident Headache Might Be a Muscle Strain Headache
Kansas City, Missouri, auto accidents are also a common cause of muscle strain injuries, and these can also cause muscle strain headaches. The main indication that this is what is causing your headache after an auto accident is the occurrence of symptoms involving headaches and pain that is more severe at the base of your skull. The reason for this is that muscle strain injuries, like whiplash, cause pain in your neck and your shoulders, and this causes strain in your head, too. Whiplash is an injury to the neck that occurs when the weight of your head is thrown forward and back again, straining the muscles that support your head in your neck. If you think you have a muscle strain headache after a Kansas City, Missouri, auto accident, see your doctor as soon as possible.
Your Kansas City, Missouri, Auto Accident Headache Might Be a Post-Traumatic Headache
Kansas City, Missouri, auto accidents can cause a lot of trauma to various parts of your body. This, in turn, can result in post-traumatic headaches. This is any kind of headache that is caused by injuries to your neck, shoulders, or head. If you experience any stiffness or pain in these areas, then this could be the reason. Yet, most people don’t get a post-traumatic headache in the immediate aftermath of a collision. Rather, it comes on later, sometimes a few hours or a few days, and sometimes after a week or more. So, if you were treated for injuries or thought that you were uninjured, a post-traumatic headache might not be addressed because it wasn’t present at the time. The best thing to do if you start to experience stiffness and pain with a headache after an auto accident is to seek treatment and let the physician know that you were recently in an auto accident so that they can look into the cause.
Your Kansas City, Missouri, Auto Accident Headache Might Be a Pinched Nerve Headache
Kansas City, Missouri, auto accidents will also frequently cause you to get a pinched nerve in your spine. Any nerve in your spinal cord that is compressed during the motor vehicle collision could cause this. It might be near your hips, your shoulders, or your neck, for example. Those who already have nerve conditions or spine conditions are at greater risk of a pinched nerve that could result in a pinched nerve headache. Other indications that this is what you’re dealing with include feeling burning pain, tingling sensations, and weakness in your limbs or your muscles. You may also experience pain and discomfort in your shoulders and in your arms. The more severe your pinched nerve is, the more severe your symptoms are likely to be and the more likely you are to experience a headache.
Your Kansas City, Missouri, Auto Accident Headache Might Be a Concussion Headache
Kansas City, Missouri, auto accidents can also cause concussions, which can also cause headaches. An auto accident concussion happens when the impact of the collision causes the brain to collide with the skull. It is a form of traumatic brain injury or TBI, and it can be a lot worse than you imagine at first. Yet, the accident will likely result in shock, stress, and other injuries that can all contribute to hide the symptoms of the concussion. Or the symptoms of the concussion themselves could prevent you from being aware of what’s going on. For instance, concussions cause confusion, and this alone could make you unaware that something serious is going on. Other symptoms of a concussion include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, vertigo, drowsiness, and a ringing in the ears. Some people have slurred speech, lose memories, and even are knocked unconscious by concussion injuries. You may want nothing more than to go to sleep, and you may not even be in a condition to assess your own state of injury. If others act as if you aren’t behaving normally or if you have any of these other symptoms of a concussion, get a ride to the hospital. You won’t be safe behind the wheel, so don’t try to drive yourself.
Your Kansas City, Missouri, Auto Accident Headache Might Be a Migraine Headache
Kansas City, Missouri, auto accidents can also cause migraine headaches in someone who is prone to migraines or even in someone who has never experienced migraines in the past. Those who are prone to migraines may not even realize that the migraine headache is related to the motor vehicle collision. They may also think they have a migraine, when they really have an auto accident headache that is caused by other injuries. It is important to never take a headache for granted after an auto accident and to always get it checked out. Even if it is a migraine, it could have been triggered by the auto accident, and it could end up being a more frequent occurrence because of the auto accident. Some symptoms that often come along with migraine headaches include dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting, and an inability to focus on anything much more than the pain.
Whatever is causing your headache after a Kansas City, Missouri, auto accident, you need to get it checked out by a doctor and then call the auto accident attorneys at the Krause & Kinsman Law Firm to learn more about recovering compensation for your injuries.