If you’ve been involved in a Colorado car accident and now have a headache that just won’t go away, this may indicate a more serious injury.
Pain That Won’t Go Away Can Be a Sign of Serious Injury
Even after a seemingly minor collision, accident victims often suffer from headaches. But headaches that persist—or get even worse—can be symptoms of more serious injuries. Don’t ignore such headaches.
What causes headaches after a crash?
Three kinds of injuries caused by an automobile accident can cause headaches.
- Whiplash. An injury caused by a sudden movement of the head and neck, commonly inflicted during a rear-end collision. Whiplash is typically attended by neck pain, stiffness, and headaches.
- Concussion. An injury caused by a hard blow, especially a brain injury attended by temporary loss of brain function but not necessarily a loss of consciousness.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI). An injury caused by a blow to the head in which the normal function of the brain is disrupted, often leading to headaches, blurry vision, fatigue, and sensitivity to noise or light.
Although some of these symptoms may appear immediately, you may not notice others until days or months after the injury. The risk is that you will overlook the symptoms or fail to relate them to the accident that has caused the problem. If you have suffered any of these injuries and are experiencing headaches, seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
When to See a Doctor
If you have been in an auto accident in Colorado that caused a blow to the head or your neck to be forcefully jerked, see a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- A headache that gets worse or won’t go away.
- Tightness on your forehead and the sides or back of your head.
- Tenderness of the scalp, neck, and shoulder muscles.
- Weakness, numbness, or a lack of physical coordination.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Slurred speech.
- Loss of appetite.
- Extreme drowsiness or inability to wake up.
- One pupil noticeably larger than the other.
- Convulsions.
- Impairment of cognitive ability.
- Failure to recognize familiar people and places.
- Confusion, restlessness, or agitation.
- Mood swings or personality changes.
- Loss of consciousness.
If a child has been involved in such an accident and displays any of these symptoms or is inconsolable, won’t stop crying, and refuses to nurse or eat, take him to an emergency room immediately.
Persistent headaches after a car crash can be a symptom of an even more serious condition.
- A traumatic brain injury can cause seizures that occur soon after the accident or years later. Recurrent seizures that started after the accident may be symptoms of post-traumatic epilepsy.
- A head injury may cause cerebrospinal fluid to build up in your brain, resulting in swelling and pressure.
- Blood vessel damage. If the accident caused damage to the blood vessels of your brain, your risk of having a stroke, blood clots, and other circulatory problems may increase.
If you are experiencing headaches that recur more than half of the days in a month, they could be related to injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Colorado personal injury attorney Dan Rosen at (303) 454-8000 or (800) ROSEN-911 for a free initial consultation.