Nearly 80 percent of people who experience whiplash develop a chronic headache, also known as cervicogenic or neck-related headache.

Whiplash Headache Overview – What is Whiplash Headache ?

Nearly two thirds of cervical spine injury patients experience headache. About half of those who develop it after whiplash injury feel the pain in the back of their head, a further third get symptoms all over the head and a smaller number feel the whiplash related discomfort at their forehead or behind their eyes.

Headache after whiplash injury often shows itself for the first time on the morning after the accident. The pain sweeps up from the neck and over the back of the head. Most sufferers find that heat on the back of the neck will ease the headache. Cold makes it worse.

Neck movements often aggravate the problem – particularly if the neck is moved towards extension: looking up to the ceiling is often very painful.

Patients with whiplash related head pains often also get shoulder pain and touching the big trapezius muscles over the back of the neck and shoulders often provokes pain or spread of symptoms upwards. There are often tender spots or trigger points in these muscles.

Women get pains in the head after whiplash injury more often than men – the reason for this is unclear but might relate to the smaller structures of the female neck anatomy.

Nearly 80 percent of people who experience whiplash develop a chronic headache, also known as cervicogenic or neck-related headache.

Causes of Whiplash Headache

The sudden and extreme back-and-forth motion of whiplash can injure the cervical facet joints, causing inflammation and irritation of the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord.

Symptoms of Whiplash Headache

The symptoms of whiplash headache are often indistinguishable from any other headache. Pain can occur in any part of the head, neck and jaw. Symptoms may occur immediately after an injury or several days later.

Treatment

Whiplash headache can initially be treated with physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications. If pain persists, steroid/ anesthetic injections in the facet joints of the spine may provide temporary relief, or radiofrequency pain blocks may provide long-term relief.