You will be asked about your symptoms and health history. You will also be asked about any recent trauma to the head, neck, or face. A physical exam will be done. This is often enough to make the diagnosis.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to manage headaches until the person has healed. Complete rest is rarely needed.

Medicines may be given to help manage headache pain. These may be:

Over the counter medicines, such as ibuprofen
Antidepressants
Triptans
Muscle relaxants

Prevention

There are no known guidelines to lower the risk of this problem.

RESOURCES:

Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
https://www.familydoctor.org

National Headache Foundation
http://www.headaches.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

The College of Family Physicians of Canada
http://www.cfpc.ca

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca

References:

Headaches after head injuries—post-traumatic headaches. Brainline website. Available at: https://www.brainline.org/article/headaches-after-head-injuries-%E2%80%94-post-traumatic-headaches. Accessed September 11, 2020.

Headaches after traumatic brain injury. Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed September 11, 2020.

Post-traumatic headache. National Headache Foundation website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed September 11, 2020.

Posttraumatic headache. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/posttraumatic-headache. Accessed September 11, 2020.

Riechers RG 2nd, Walker MF, et al. Post-traumatic headaches. Handb Clin Neurol. 2015;128:567-578.

Last reviewed March 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Shawna Grubb, RN
Last Updated: 3/24/2021

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at healthlibrarysupport@ebsco.com. Our Health Library Support team will respond to your email request within 2 business days.