Citation

Seifert T. Curr. Pain Headache Rep. 2016; 20(6): e41.

Affiliation

Sports Concussion Program, Norton Healthcare, 3991 Dutchmans Lane, Suite 310, Louisville, 40207, KY, USA. tad.seifert@nortonhealthcare.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s11916-016-0568-6

PMID

27184059

Abstract

Post-traumatic headache can occur after any traumatic brain injury, regardless of severity. Headache is consistently the most common symptom following concussion and occurs in over 90 % of athletes with sports-related concussion. Despite this prevalence, the complaint of headache after a possible concussive injury is often dismissed. Even when sports-related concussion is accurately diagnosed, many athletes fall victim to mismanagement of this associated symptom by clinicians who are not well-versed in headache treatment. Furthermore, benign headaches may also occur incidentally in the context of head trauma. This complex, and often non-specific, nature of headaches provides a significant challenge in return to play decision-making. Post-traumatic headaches are generally categorized according to primary headache disorders in an attempt to guide treatment; however, there is minimal medical literature on headache management in the concussed athlete. There is clearly a continued need for prospective studies of existing treatments and new approaches.

Language: en