Most headaches that begin after a collision are cervicogenic, which means the pain is generated by injured joints, muscles and nerves in the neck and referred upward into the head. That is why they commonly sit at the base of the skull, behind one eye, or on one side only, and why they worsen the longer the head is held in one position.
A headache after a crash can also be the first sign of a concussion. That is the reason the first visit is an examination rather than a treatment plan handed over on arrival.
Call 911 or go to an emergency department if any of these are present:
Anyone who lost consciousness, however briefly, should be assessed the same day. These are signs of a head injury that needs imaging now, not an appointment later.
Every Mountain View Pain Center chiropractor is trained in whiplash and auto-injury care. That is where it starts, not where it ends. Your care is delivered by a team — board-certified Pain Management physicians, the advanced-practice providers they supervise, chiropractors and physical therapists — all working from one chart, so the record your adjuster or attorney receives is complete and consistent. Medical transportation is available for accident patients, and it can be billed to the lien, so getting to appointments is not the thing that ends your treatment early.
When the headache is coming from the neck, the treatment is aimed at the neck. Chiropractic care restores motion in the upper cervical segments, Physical Therapy retrains the deep neck flexors and the postural muscles that gave out, and Acupuncture is available where it helps with the muscle tone that keeps the headache running. If the headaches are not settling, the Pain Management physicians review the case and decide whether imaging or an interventional procedure is the right next step. Interventional procedures are performed in office at Northglenn, Interquest, Mesa and Westgate.
In a rear-end collision the head lags behind the torso and then snaps forward, and the joints at the top of the neck take the end of that movement. The nerves that supply those joints share a pathway with the nerves that supply the scalp and the area behind the eye, which is why an injury in the neck is felt in the head.
That shared pathway is also why treating the headache alone rarely holds. The whiplash treatment page covers the neck injury itself, and back pain after a car accident covers the rest of the spine when both are involved.
Accident care at Mountain View Pain Center can be billed to the med-pay portion of an auto policy, to a lien where an attorney is involved, or to your health insurance. The billing team sets the route up at the first visit, so it is settled before treatment starts rather than after.
Most major commercial plans are accepted in both states, and Medicare Advantage is accepted on most plans in both states. Medical transportation is available for accident patients and can be billed to the lien. Real-time translation is available through Lumi at every clinic.
Care is delivered at clinics across the Denver metro, Colorado Springs, northern Colorado and the Phoenix metro. The car accident injury treatment hub lists every location, and each city page names the clinics that serve it.
Every clinic below has Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture and Pain Management on one chart, so care can move between them without a new referral.
Downtown out through the north, west, south and east suburbs.
Academy, Interquest and Tenderfoot cover the north, central and south of the city.
Harmony in Fort Collins and our Greeley clinic serve Larimer and Weld counties.
Across the Valley, from the West Valley through Phoenix to the East Valley.
Often within the first 24 to 72 hours. A headache that begins later than that is still worth having examined, particularly if it is getting worse rather than easing.
Not always. Many are coming from the neck rather than the head, but the two can look similar early on, which is why the first visit is an examination.
With a sudden severe headache, repeated vomiting, unequal pupils, slurred speech, confusion, a seizure, one-sided weakness, or clear fluid from the nose or ear. Anyone who lost consciousness should be assessed the same day.
No. You can book directly, and appointments are usually available within the same week.
Care aimed at the neck: Chiropractic care, Physical Therapy, and Acupuncture where it helps, with a Pain Management physician reviewing the case if the headaches are not settling.
Accident care can be billed to the med-pay portion of an auto policy, to a lien where an attorney is involved, or to your health insurance. The route is set up at the first visit.
Holding the head in one position loads the injured joints and the muscles that are already working overtime to guard them. The pain usually builds through the afternoon and eases with movement.
At any Mountain View Pain Center clinic in Colorado or Arizona. Interventional procedures, where they are needed, are performed in office at Northglenn, Interquest, Mesa and Westgate.
No referral is needed to be evaluated, appointments are usually available within the same week, and accident care can be billed to med-pay or to a lien.
