Abstract
Posttraumatic headaches are among the most challenging complaints after mild traumatic
brain injury (mTBI). They are a debilitating problem experienced by patients after
TBI of all severities. Up to 90% of mild TBI patients experience headache, particularly
if female and with a premorbid history of primary headache. Tension headache has classically
been the most common subtype, but in military populations migraine has dominated.
Posttraumatic headache encompasses a spectrum of headache types that overlap heavily
with common primary headache disorders, but also autonomic cephalgias as well as several
secondary headache conditions. It is important to understand the evolution of postconcussion
syndrome as a concept, and the challenges associated with diagnosing and treating
multidomain drivers effectively. The first-line treatments for posttraumatic headache
are typically the same as those used in nontraumatic headache, with additional considerations
for cognitive side effects, posttraumatic epilepsy, and coexisting injuries resulting
in neuropathic pain or medication overuse.
Keywords
Posttraumatic Headache - concussive headache - postconcussion syndrome - posttraumatic
disorder
