Why Do I Have a Headache After Car Accident?
Attorneys for Car Crash Head Injury Cases in Michigan
A severe headache after car accident is a startling experience for many crash victims. Although post-accident headaches can sometimes resolve after a few weeks, a headache can sometimes be a symptom of a severe injury. If you’re experiencing persistent headaches after an auto accident, contact Lipton Law as soon as possible.
Recovering damages through a car accident lawsuit can be difficult. Furthermore, insurance companies may attempt to deny payment for your injuries. The Lipton Law team takes lingering headaches seriously. Our Michigan auto accident attorneys work hard to help accident victims recover fair compensation for injuries and more. To learn more about how we can help you, call our law firm at (248) 557-1688.
Do You Have a Headache After Car Accident?
Sometimes a headache is just a headache. However, a headache after a car accident can indicate a wide range of health issues, from whiplash to traumatic brain injuries. Your headache may be the result of stress, muscle strain, or head trauma.
Even if you feel fine after a car accident, seeking medical attention should be one of your first priorities. You may not feel potentially deadly injuries after a car accident due to the adrenaline rushing through your body. Certain symptoms, including headaches, may appear a few hours or even days later. Take note of any delayed symptoms and contact your doctor as soon as you notice them.
Common Causes of Headaches After a Car Accident
Headaches after a car accident can result from a wide range of injuries. Often, a head or neck injury can be accompanied by headaches. A motor vehicle collision may lead to a direct hit to the head or a sudden jolt that causes muscle strain. Either may cause headaches.
Other common causes include the following.
- Pinched nerves in the neck or head
- Injuries to upper back or neck muscles (including tears, strains, and spasms)
- Spinal and/or skull fractures
- Herniations or bulges in the spine’s discs
- Brain injuries
Some of these injuries can cause long-lasting issues, especially if left untreated. A Michigan catastrophic injury lawyer can help you recover damages for chronic headaches and other injuries that impact your quality of life.
Common Types of Headaches After Car Accident
Car accidents can cause many different types of headaches. In the following sections, we describe several different types of post-traumatic headaches one may experience after a car crash.
Headache That Won’t Go Away
If you have a headache that won’t go away following a motor vehicle crash, you should consult with a medical professional as soon as possible. Some types of headaches, such as migraines, are known to be long-lasting. However, constant headaches following an accident can indicate traumatic brain injury, concussion, or closed-head injury.
Migraines After Car Accident
Some car accident victims develop migraines. In addition to chronic pain, migraine headache symptoms can include sensitivity to light, sound, smells, and touch. You may experience memory loss, confusion, dizziness, nausea, balance problems, and ringing in the ears. Additionally, some people mistake other types of headaches, such as post-concussion headaches or whiplash headaches, for migraine headaches. Your doctor can help you determine which type of headache you are experiencing.
Tension Headache After Car Accident
Muscle tension in your neck or scalp can lead to tension headaches. During an accident, you will likely tense your muscles in an attempt to resist the collision forces impacting your body. For this reason, tension headaches can be common following a car accident.
Cluster Headaches After Car Accident
Cluster headaches are often so intense that they wake people from sleep. They generally cause severe pain on one side of the head or face, particularly around the eye. Serious head trauma can sometimes trigger cluster headaches.
Cervicogenic Headache After Car Accident
The pain associated with cervicogenic headaches usually starts in the neck. In particular, issues affecting your upper cervical spine may result in cervicogenic headaches. Neck pain radiates up to the head. Whiplash headaches are a type of cervicogenic headache. These headaches can also result from slipped discs, pinched nerves, or muscle sprains.
Occipital Neuralgia After Car Accident
An occipital neuralgia headache occurs when something damages or inflames your occipital nerves, or the nerves in your scalp. These headaches are associated with sudden, sharp pain that may feel like burning or an electric shock. Neck injuries, pinched nerves, and muscle tightness can cause occipital neuralgia headaches.
Fracture Headaches After Car Accident
Fracture headaches are caused by skull fractures. Symptoms can include severe pain, swelling, bruising, nausea, confusion, vision loss, and trouble with speech. Skull fractures can be particularly dangerous, as they can damage brain tissue. When brain injuries impact your quality of life, rely on Michigan brain injury attorneys to help you pursue legal action.
Post-Concussion Headache After Car Accident
A concussion is a form of mild traumatic brain injury that often results from a sudden and violent jolt. Lingering headaches can be indicative of post-concussion syndrome. What is post-concussion syndrome?
Post-concussion syndrome occurs when concussion symptoms last longer than expected.
What If You Have a Headache After Car Accident, But Didn’t Hit Your Head?
A headache after a car accident can occur even if you didn’t hit your head. Motor vehicle accidents can cause pinched nerves, muscle tension, or neck injuries, which in turn may lead to severe headaches. Regardless of the cause of your headache, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Can Whiplash Cause Headaches After Car Accident?
The forceful whipping of a driver’s or passenger’s head and neck in a wreck can induce a post-traumatic headache. This is why one of the most typical symptoms of a “whiplash” injury is headaches. Whiplash is most commonly caused by a rear-end collision.
Whiplash may also cause sore muscles, reduced range of motion, neck pain, and discomfort in the muscles surrounding the neck.
How Long Should a Headache Last After a Car Accident?
Generally, headaches can last hours or days. Depending on your circumstances, headaches may last longer. Injuries sustained in a car collision may affect how long headaches last. The pain may come and go or may be continuous.
Experiencing headache pain for 15 or more days each month for at least three months qualifies as chronic head pain.
What To Do If You Have a Constant Headache After Car Accident
The traumatic event of a car accident can leave you feeling at a loss for what to do next. Our attorneys want to ensure that you know what to do after a car accident in Michigan. The following steps are crucial to recovering after any accident.
If you are suffering from a headache after car accident, you should seek medical attention immediately. Prompt medical attention increases your chances of healing properly and makes it easier to determine the cause of your injuries. Your physician can perform a physical examination of any injury site to determine the severity of your wounds. Doctors will also be able to diagnose and treat issues you might not notice on your own.
For example, brain injuries can cause confusion and limit your cognitive ability. If a medical professional notices this, they can order brain function tests and other exams to assess for brain injuries. Medical records establishing the cause of your injuries can also be useful when seeking insurance claims or filing a lawsuit.
Consult a Michigan car accident attorney. You need a personal injury lawyer who specializes in helping people suffering from headaches after a car accident. They can help you figure out how much your case is worth, how to prove pain and suffering, and make sure you get the compensation you need to cover medical bills and more.
Tell your auto insurance company. Include your headaches in your no-fault benefits application. This is also known as your “written notice of injury,” and must be given to your auto insurance provider within one year of the accident.
Do not sign anything. Do not sign any settlements, releases, or waivers provided to you by your auto insurance company, the at-fault driver’s vehicle insurer, or any other insurance companies or persons. Speak with an experienced attorney first.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore a Headache After Being Rear-Ended
Don’t ignore headaches after a motor vehicle accident, regardless of whether they began after the crash or days later. Your headache may be an indication of another undiagnosed injury, such as a traumatic brain injury, concussion, or closed-head injury. Delaying treatment could make your condition worse.
Early diagnosis and treatment reduce the likelihood of sustaining a long-term disability. Obtaining early documentation of your injury can also prove useful in seeking compensation for your losses. Lipton’s Michigan rear-end accident lawyers use medical records to establish a connection between your injury and the car accident.
How to Treat Headache from Car Accident
Effective treatment depends on the underlying cause of your headaches. Treatment may involve medications, such as painkillers, seizure medications, or blood pressure medications. Physical therapy in the form of stretching exercises or spinal manipulation may also help with headaches.
Severe injuries may require more in-depth treatment plans. All of these treatments can add up, leaving you with copious medical bills. By filing a car accident claim, you can seek compensation to recover the costs of your medical treatment.
Headaches After Car Accident Settlement Amounts in Michigan
Headaches and other injuries may entitle you to seek compensation from at-fault parties. What are the typical car accident settlement amounts with injury? Settlement amounts can vary greatly depending on the details of your case. Some factors that influence the value of potential settlements or lawsuit damages include the following.
- Severity and duration of the injuries
- Medical expenses
- Impact on the victim’s daily life
- Future medical care costs
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
What to Do if Your Head Hurts After Car Accident
If your head hurts after a car accident, it’s important to seek medical attention right away to determine the cause of your pain. These symptoms can worsen over time and may signal a more serious injury.
After receiving proper treatment, it’s crucial to consult with experienced Michigan car accident lawyers at Lipton Law. We can help you file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering caused by your accident-related headaches. Contact Lipton Law today to protect your rights and get the compensation you deserve.
Have a Headache After Car Crash? Call the Southfield Car Accident Attorneys at Lipton Law
The Lipton Law team understands that every accident, crash victim, and case is unique. We offer personalized attention and care to each of our clients. Whether you need help filing for
Michigan No-Fault benefits or want to seek legal action against an at-fault driver, we can help.
Do you have questions about your legal rights and the compensation you may be entitled to? If so, call (248) 557-1688 to consult with an experienced Michigan car accident attorney at Lipton Law. You can also set up a free consultation by contacting us online.
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