Traumatic Brain Injury/ Post-Traumatic Headache
Traumatic brain injury occurs after an injury to the head. Classifications of TBI can be mild (like a mild concussion), moderate or severe. Symptoms will vary based on severity but can include: disorientation, amnesia, decreased level of consciousness, balance issues, impulsivity, changes in emotions, headache, difficulty with concentration, etc.
Post-traumatic headache occurs within seven days after a traumatic brain injury. Those impacted with post-traumatic headache frequently have migraine-type symptoms, tension-type symptoms or symptoms of other primary headache disorders. In one study of people with migraine disease and post-traumatic headache, those who had migraine prior to injury had a two times increase in the frequency and intensity of headaches after the injury.1
Hong et. al found that “up to 49% of post-traumatic headache met the criteria for migraine, followed by tension-type headache (up to 40%).”2