Why Am I Having Headaches Since My Car Accident and Should I Seek Auto Accident Treatment in Fayetteville?

Being involved in an automobile accident can result in a variety of injuries including neck pain, back pain, sciatica, numbness, muscle spasm, and bruising. Headaches are also a common occurrence after an accident, and patients frequently ask why they are having them and how to make them go away. Our chiropractor in Fayetteville often sees patients after they’ve been in a car accident to assess the extent of their injuries and the possible sources of any discomfort they’re experiencing

What Kinds of Headaches Does Our Fayetteville Chiropractor Treat?

After a car accident, people can suffer from cluster, migraine or cervicogenic headaches, or sometimes a mild traumatic brain injury, more commonly known as a concussion. With a concussion, other symptoms such as nausea, irritability, concentration issues and short term memory issues may be present. The best healing is simply time and rest to avoid further damage as the brain heals. If the patient does not improve or the condition worsens, he/she should be evaluated by a neurologist.

However, the more common headaches suffered after a car accident are cervicogenic headaches from whiplash which damages the upper neck. With these headaches, there is increased tension in the muscles and ligaments connecting the vertebra of the upper neck to each other and the base of the cranium.

The body is built on balance. The spine stacks straight up and down and the muscles and ligaments attaching to the right and left sides of these vertebra have equal tension, acting like guidewires to hold them straight and in their normal position. When the spine is straight and the tension is equal from side to side, the body is the most efficient, taking less energy to do daily activities.

When the ligaments and the muscles on one side are injured, the body will heal them with scar tissue that contracts and tightens as it matures, creating more tension on one side of the spine and pulling it in that direction. When the vertebra are pulled out of position, the joints above and below misalign and become irritated and swollen.

In a cervicogenic headache, this misalignment creates pressure on the nerves that travel from the spine to the cranium. The patient feels a throbbing sensation from the base of the neck up into the brain. The greater the pressure, the greater the discomfort. When that area of the neck relaxes, inflammation and the pressure on those nerves decreases and the headache fades and resolves. If the tension worsens again, the headache returns.

About Chiropractic and Fayetteville Auto Accident Treatment

Chiropractic is perceived as a doctor pushing a vertebra back into place, but I think of it a bit differently. The brain is intricate and will change the tension of the muscles on each vertebra to keep the spine straight if it can. Scar tissue impedes its ability to do so. Chiropractors in essence stretch scar tissue and even the tension on both sides of a vertebra and allow the brain to realign the bones.

As the spine returns to its normal alignment, daily movements and activities will cause less and less irritation to those joints which will decrease the amount of pain you feel, furthering allow muscles supporting that area of the spine to relax. As this occurs, the headaches should cease.

Learn More about Auto Accident Treatments from Our Chiropractor in Fayetteville

If you’ve recently been in a car accident, don’t hesitate to call our Fayetteville chiropractor to seek treatment.  You can reach us at 910-484-2001; call today, we’re here to help you!