TBI Headache is one of the most common and frustrating symptoms people face after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Whether the brain injury is merely a mild concussion or a more severe type of head trauma, many TBI survivors develop persistent headaches.
Over 70% of those with a concussion experience headaches in the days following their injury. Sadly, many continue to suffer for months or even years afterward. Despite how common they are, TBI-related headaches are often misunderstood and mismanaged.
Patients are frequently told their brain “looks fine,” yet they know something isn’t right as the pounding in their head persists. This disconnect can leave people feeling alone, confused, and desperate for relief. TBI headaches (also called post-traumatic headaches) can drastically impact quality of life. They often interfere with work, sleep, and daily activities. Simple things like reading, exercise, or spending time with family can become challenging when pain is present.
Worse, many patients feel invalidated when their lingering headaches are shrugged off or treated like ordinary tension headaches or migraines. In reality, a TBI headache is a complex secondary headache disorder. This means it stems directly from the brain injury, and it requires a nuanced approach to diagnose and treat.
Why We Put Together This Guide…
This comprehensive guide will demystify TBI headaches and provide clear, practical information for patients and healthcare providers. We will also try to explain the intricacies of TBI headaches and explore the different types and causes. Furthermore, we will discuss why the usual “take a pill and rest” approach often fails these patients.
Most importantly, we will highlight standard treatment options and the integrative strategies used at The Neural Connection clinic to help long-haul patients find relief. Finally, we’ll offer at-home management tools and tips that individuals can use to overcome symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Our goal is to educate and empower you with a deeper understanding of TBI headaches. We intend to highlight that with the right approach, even the most stubborn post-traumatic headaches can improve.
Check out our 107+ 5-Star Google Reviews to see for yourself!
What Is a TBI Headache?
A TBI headache is a headache that occurs as a direct result of trauma to the brain or body, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. In medical terms, it’s a type of “secondary headache.” This means the TBI headache is secondary to an underlying cause (the injury to the brain or neck). These differ from a primary headache disorder like classic migraine.
These post-traumatic headaches typically emerge after a head injury like a concussion. Still, they can also follow moderate or severe TBIs, whiplash from a car accident, or any significant trauma involving the head and neck.
How and when do TBI headaches start?
Headache symptoms often begin within the first 7 days after the injury – sometimes immediately, other times after a short delay. In some cases, headaches might not show up until weeks post-injury, often confusing patients as to why.
For example, someone might feel fine the first week after a concussion, only to develop relentless headaches a month later. Whenever they begin, if a new headache pattern follows a head trauma, it’s likely a post-traumatic headache.
TBI headaches can take many forms. There is no single “textbook” presentation, which is one reason they’re frequently overlooked or misdiagnosed. One patient’s post-TBI headache might feel like a classic migraine attack with throbbing pain and light sensitivity. And yet, another patient might feel like a dull tension-type headache or neck ache. Post-traumatic headaches often mimic other headache disorders. They frequently present with migraine-like features, cluster headache patterns, tension headache tightness, or a mix of various symptoms.
Not All TBI Headaches Are Created Equally
Because of this variability, doctors who are not familiar with brain injury might mislabel the headache (for example, calling it “just migraines”) and miss the connection to the recent trauma. These factors make proper treatment challenging. What works for treating a typical migraine may not work for a TBI-induced migraine-like headache.
It’s important to understand that a TBI headache isn’t “just a headache.” It’s a complex neurological symptom indicating that the brain (and often other interconnected systems) are still recovering from injury.
A brain injury can set off a cascade of changes in brain chemistry. It can also alter blood flow, nerve signaling, and even neck and body mechanics that can contribute to head pain. Post-traumatic headaches can persist long after the initial injury has “healed” on scans. This means that the usual ER clearance (“no brain bleed, you’re fine”) doesn’t always translate to being symptom-free.
These headaches are a hallmark symptom of post-concussion syndrome and other post-TBI complications.
In short, a TBI headache is any persistent headache that starts after a head injury and is directly linked to the trauma. Recognizing this link is crucial for getting the right help.
Instead of treating it like an isolated headache problem, we also need to treat the underlying brain injury and the various factors that come with it.
In the following sections, we’ll break down the types of TBI headaches you might experience. We will also discuss what causes them, setting the stage for why specialized care is often needed.
Types of TBI Headaches
TBI headaches come in different types and patterns, often resembling primary headache disorders but with a unique post-traumatic twist.
Identifying the type (or types) of headache a patient has after their injury is critical. Effective treatments may differ based on the characteristics and origin of the headache.
It’s common for a TBI survivor to experience more than one type of headache at the same time. It’s also common for their predominant headache type to change throughout recovery.
Here are the most common types of headaches associated with TBI:
Tension-Type Headaches
These headaches are often persistent after concussions and mild TBIs. Studies estimate roughly 30% or more of post-TBI headaches are tension-type.
A tension-type headache often feels like a constant dull ache or pressure. It is commonly described as a tight band around the forehead and head, with additional weight on the neck and shoulders.
Patients often feel soreness in the temples, forehead, or the base of the skull.
After a TBI, neck strain (from whiplash or muscle spasms) and general stressors on the nervous system can trigger tension headaches. Unfortunately, many patients experience them daily or off-and-on throughout the week.
These headaches are usually milder than migraines (no severe throbbing or vomiting). Yet, they can still be very painful and draining, especially when chronic in nature.
Tension headaches from TBI often worsen with stress, poor posture, or long hours at a computer. They will usually improve temporarily with rest, massage, or gentle pressure at the base of the skull.
However, these headaches can keep recurring if the underlying issues (like neck muscle injury or nervous system tension) aren’t addressed.
Migraine-Like TBI Headaches
Migraine-like headaches are another common post-TBI headache type. Unfortunately, migraine is one of the most frequently reported phenotypes of post-traumatic headache, especially in the first few months after injury.
A post-traumatic migraine will typically cause intense throbbing or pulsating pain on either one or both sides of the head. It often comes with migraine features such as sensitivities to both light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia). Post-traumatic migraine can also cause nausea or even vomiting and become worse with physical activity.
Some TBI patients also report visual auras or spots in their vision before the headache.
What makes post-TBI migraines tricky is that they might not respond to the usual migraine medications. The migraine attacks can also be intertwined with other concussion symptoms, like dizziness or cognitive fog.
It’s also possible for a person who has never had migraines before to start having migraine-like headaches after a brain injury. Conversely, if you had a history of migraines, a TBI can exacerbate them. It’s possible your migraines might become more frequent or intense post-injury.
Migrainous post-traumatic headaches can last hours or even days. They also tend to flare up with triggers such as bright lights, busy environments, poor sleep, dehydration, or stress on the injured brain.
Cervicogenic Headaches (Neck-Related Headaches)
“Cervicogenic” means originating from the cervical spine/neck. After a head or whiplash injury, it’s very common to develop headaches that stem from neck damage or strain.
In a TBI context, a cervicogenic headache can often start at the upper part of the neck or base of the skull and radiate outward. Many patients frequently report pain that begins in the neck/shoulder region or the back of the head (occipital area). Pain will usually then travels up to behind the eyes or to the temples. Stiffness or pain in the neck often accompanies the headache.
Cervicogenic headaches are commonly mistaken for tension headaches or migraines, since they can cause similar symptoms (like one-sided pain or nausea), but the key feature is the neck involvement.
Moving the head or neck might worsen the pain overall. Pressing on specific neck muscles or joints might reproduce the headache. After a TBI, especially one involving a whiplash, the surrounding ligaments, muscles, and nerves in the neck can be injured.
Even subtle misalignments or muscle tightness in the cervical spine can trigger headache pain referred to the head.
Cervicogenic headaches highlight why treating only the head isn’t enough. The neck must be evaluated and treated as part of an integrative approach to post-traumatic headaches.
Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are a rarer form of primary headache, but they can sometimes be triggered or worsened by a TBI.
A cluster headache usually causes excruciating pain on one side of the head. This pain is often around the eye or temple, and episodes (clusters) of frequent attacks occur over weeks or months. During a cluster attack, the eye on the painful side may water or droop. These patients often feel restless due to the intensity of pain.
It’s uncommon for a concussion or TBI to directly cause a true cluster headache syndrome unless the person already had a predisposition to it. However, we mention it because if someone with a history of cluster headaches suffers a TBI, they might notice their cluster cycles become more frequent or severe.
Additionally, some post-traumatic headaches can feel somewhat like cluster headaches with piercing, localized pain, and autonomic symptoms (like eye tearing or nasal congestion).
Proper diagnosis is key here, because cluster headaches require different treatments than tension or migraine headaches.
If you experience one-sided stabbing or burning headache pain after a head injury, you should see a specialist to determine if it’s a post-traumatic cluster headache.
Rebound Headaches (Medication Overuse Headaches)
Sadly, it’s common for people with chronic post-TBI headaches to end up in a cycle of medication overuse. When headaches are frequent and severe, patients (and doctors) often reach for frequent doses of painkillers or migraine medications.
However, taking headache relief meds too often – even over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen or prescription triptans – can lead to rebound headaches.
A rebound (or medication-overuse) headache means the medication itself is causing new headaches as it wears off, leading the person to take yet another dose, and so on. After a while, you end up with a continuous baseline headache that is fueled by the very drugs intended to stop it.
Post-traumatic headache patients are especially vulnerable to this because they may be treating daily pain with medications that were only meant for occasional use.
For example, using a triptan medication or an opioid frequently after a concussion can result in near-daily rebound headaches that compound the original problem.
Rebound headaches can feel like migraines or tension headaches. They often make it hard to discern what the “true” underlying headache type is. Breaking the medication-overuse cycle often requires a careful detox from the acute medications and finding alternative treatments for the pain.
Mix-and-Match TBI Headache Presentations
Many individuals with TBI headaches don’t fit neatly into one category.
Clinically, it’s possible to have a tension-type headache in the morning and a migraine-like headache by afternoon. We’ve seen patients present with a constant neck ache that occasionally flares into a sharper, light-sensitive headache.
We also see patients who have elements of all these headaches at different times. This overlap of headache types is one reason a one-size-fits-all diagnosis (like calling everything “migraine”) can be inadequate.
That’s why a thorough neurological and orthopedic evaluation is needed to map out all the headache patterns present. The good news is that identifying these headache types gives us clues to the underlying causes.
For example, if someone has a lot of neck-related headache symptoms, we know to focus on cervical spine treatment. If another has more migraine features, we might investigate vascular or neurological triggers more deeply.
Understanding the type of TBI headache you’re experiencing is crucial to finding the right treatment strategy.
Causes of TBI Headaches
Why do TBI headaches happen? The root causes can be surprisingly complex, because a traumatic brain injury doesn’t just affect one thing. It can set off a domino effect of changes in the body.
Think of a TBI like dropping a stone in a pond; there’s an initial impact (the injury itself), but then many ripples spread out, inherently affecting different systems.
Those “ripples” are what ultimately produce persistent headaches and symptoms.
In our clinical experiences at The Neural Connection, post-traumatic headaches usually result from multiple overlapping factors, rather than a single straightforward cause.
Here are some of the most common factors that contribute to TBI-related headaches:
Brain Injury and Neurological Changes
The most direct cause is the injury to the brain tissue itself. A direct blow to the head, rapid acceleration/deceleration (as in whiplash) of the neck, or the combination of the two, can cause the brain to move or twist inside the skull.
This trauma may stretch and damage nerve fibers, disrupt normal brain cell function, and even cause bruising or micro-bleeds in the brain. The brain’s electrical and chemical balance can remain altered even after the acute injury heals. Injuries to critical pain-regulating structures are common.
Case in point: The parts of the brain and spinal cord that modulate pain and the nerves that relay pain signals are prone to becoming hypersensitive. Blood vessels in the brain may also react to the injury, leading to vascular headaches. Here, the trauma causes blood vessels to constrict and dilate abnormally, similar to what happens in a migraine.
After a TBI, the brain’s wiring and plumbing have often taken a hit. Sadly, headaches are a common consequence of these neurological disruptions.
Neck and Spine (Cervical) Injuries
Head injuries often go hand-in-hand with neck injuries.
A concussion from a sports hit or car accident usually involves a violent movement of the head on the neck. Even if you don’t have a diagnosed “whiplash,” your neck inherently experienced a jerking motion, potentially causing trauma. This trauma can injure the cervical spine’s muscles, ligaments, and joints.
Misalignments or soft tissue damage in the neck and cervical spine can often refer pain to the head. This is the cervicogenic headache mechanism that triggers symptoms and dysfunction. Furthermore, the neck houses essential nerves and blood vessels that supply the head.
If these structures are irritated or inflamed from the injury, you might get head pain, dizziness, or other symptoms. It’s also worth noting that poor posture and muscle strain after injury can create new sources of neck tension.aches
Most post-concussion patients in our office have a combination of brain and neck injuries causing their headaches. Unfortunately, it’s common for providers to focus on one and not the other. In our experience, some may treat the neck and ignore the brain injury. At the same time, others may focus on the brain and ignore the neck.
As we’ve previously stated, a comprehensive clinical approach must consider both to be successful in treatment.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Dysfunction
The autonomic nervous system controls our “fight or flight” and “rest and digest” responses. These are the “automatic” things you shouldn’t have to think about, like heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow regulation.
A TBI can throw the ANS off balance and impair function (a condition sometimes called dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction). Common effects can be disturbances in blood flow to the brain and alterations in how the body regulates stress responses.
For example, if standing up causes your heart to race and blood pressure to drop (a common post-concussion issue), that can lead to head pressure, lightheadedness, and headaches.
Some post-TBI headaches are essentially autonomic headaches, similar to migraine or tension headaches triggered by ANS imbalance. Patients with this issue might notice headaches get worse with physical exertion, in hot environments, or when they feel anxious – all situations that stress the autonomic system.
Proper evaluations can identify ANS problems through special tests like the tilt-table or exercise tolerance tests. When diagnosed, treating the underlying autonomic dysfunction (through controlled exercise, biofeedback, or medication) can greatly relieve these headaches.
TBI Headaches and Inflammation
In the aftermath of a brain injury, the body often launches a rampant inflammatory response – its natural attempt to heal damaged tissue. But inflammation, especially in the brain, can be a double-edged sword.
Excessive or prolonged inflammation can intensify pain signals and damage healthy cells. You can think of inflammation as adding fuel to a fire, especially if inflammation is already present before the injury.
The initial injury sparks a flame (causing some damage), and additional inflammation pours more gasoline on that fire, leading to even more tissue irritation and sensitivity. Elevated inflammatory chemicals in the brain and surrounding tissues correlate to persistent post-traumatic symptoms, including headaches, pain, and altered sleep.
This inflammation can stem from the brain injury and systemic factors like autoimmune responses, poor diet, or stress after the injury. The end result is often a sensitized nervous system. An inflamed brain is likely to produce overall symptoms, especially headache pain, even with the slightest trigger.
This factor is one of the reasons why standard painkillers often don’t fully help. Unfortunately, they don’t adequately reduce neuro-inflammation in the brain or CNS. Newer treatments focus on addressing brain inflammation, but it’s still a complicated process to facilitate.
At The Neural Connection, we often utilize supplements, antioxidants, and clinical interventions like low-level laser therapy to promote anti-inflammatory effects in neural tissue.
Vascular Changes After a TBI
Traumatic brain injuries can cause changes in cerebral blood flow and blood vessel function. Some post-TBI headaches are essentially vascular headaches (much like migraines) caused by dysregulation of blood vessels in the head.
After a concussion, the brain’s blood flow and cerebral spinal fluid can be reduced or uneven. And blood vessels may not respond normally to activity or posture changes. Patients might experience a throbbing headache every time their heart rate increases or with activities that increase intracranial pressure (like bending over or lifting something heavy).
Additionally, if certain parts of the brain aren’t getting enough blood or oxygen (a condition known as neurovascular coupling dysfunction), headaches can often be a warning sign. The brain is very sensitive to changes in oxygen levels – even slight dips can trigger pain or dizziness.
This vascular component is why aerobic exercise tests (like the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test) are essential for treatment and return-to-play protocols.
If exertion quickly brings on a headache and other symptoms, it often signals an issue regulating blood flow. Treatments that improve vascular function, like controlled exercise, proper hydration, and specific therapies, can help alleviate these TBI headaches.
Vision and Vestibular Problems with TBI Headaches
The visual and vestibular systems (balance organs of the inner ear) are often disrupted by brain injury, and they frequently contribute to post-traumatic headaches.
For instance, you might develop ocular headaches if a TBI affects the central integration centers for visual function. These often occur from eye strain, double vision, or difficulty focusing, caused by the brain working overtime and triggering ocular pain.
Ever get a headache after reading for too long?
After a concussion, that threshold can be dramatically lower, where just a few minutes of screen time might spur a headache due to visual processing deficits.
Similarly, vestibular dysfunction (damage to the inner ear balance system or central brain connections) can lead to dizziness, vertigo, and headaches. When the vestibular system isn’t working right, your brain struggles to keep you balanced and your eyes steady.
This mismatch of information (between what your eyes see, your inner ear senses, and your body feels) can create intense head pressure and headaches. Many patients describe these as feeling like motion sickness or a “hangover” type headache, especially after being in busy visual environments or making rapid head movements.
Addressing vision and vestibular issues through specialized rehabilitation is often key to reducing these headaches.
Sleep Disturbances and The Relationship with TBI Headaches
After a TBI, it’s common to experience sleep problems – difficulty falling, staying, or not getting enough restful sleep. Unfortunately, poor sleep quality can amplify headaches (and pain in general) in a vicious positive feedback cycle.
There’s a saying, “sleep is the brain’s healer,” and it holds true for concussion recovery. The brain performs critical cleanup and repair tasks during deep sleep to improve healing and recovery. 30-70% of patients who suffer from a TBI struggle with sleep. If your injury is preventing you from getting deep, restorative sleep (perhaps due to disruption of sleep-regulating centers in the brain or due to pain and stress), headaches can become more frequent.
Unfortunately, certain sleep disorders like sleep apnea can develop or worsen after a head injury. And these, in turn, cause morning headaches and daytime grogginess.We also see that patients who over-rest (staying in a dark room all day for weeks) can upset their sleep-wake cycle, leading to insomnia at night and headaches from oversleeping and/or irregular sleep patterns.
Balancing rest and activity is crucial, as too little sleep often worsens headaches, but too much lying in bed and napping can also backfire and further promote poor sleep.
Psychological and Emotional Factors
A traumatic brain injury is not just a physical event – it’s often emotionally traumatic as well.
It’s common for patients to experience anxiety, depression, irritability, or post-traumatic stress after their injury. These psychological factors can both exacerbate headaches and result from them.
Stress and anxiety can cause tightening of muscles (leading to tension headaches) and ramp up the autonomic “fight or flight” responses (triggering or worsening migraines and autonomic headaches). They can also create a hyper-vigilance to symptoms that makes general pain feel even more overwhelming.
Depression and mental fatigue can lower pain tolerance, making headaches that might be mild feel unbearable. Moreover, if someone is anxious about when the next headache will strike, that anxiety itself can become a trigger. It’s not just “all in your head”, as there are real reasons why you feel the way you feel.
Instead, the brain injury can directly cause mood changes and anxiety (due to injury in specific brain regions), which in turn, can feed back into the headache cycle. Incorporating mental health support, stress management, and psychotherapy is therefore an essential part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Post-traumatic headaches are multifactorial, and several of the above factors might be at play in any given patient.
This complex web of symptoms is why standard approaches often fail. It’s why we take an integrative treatment approach at The Neural Connection.
Once we understand the causes in a particular case, we can craft a targeted and personalized treatment plan.
TBI Headache Treatment Options at The Neural Connection
Treating TBI headaches requires an integrative and personalized approach to care. At The Neural Connection, we understand that every brain injury is unique. Therefore, every patient’s headache profile is unique and requires personalization.
Our clinic specializes in comprehensive neurological care, providing extensive experience untangling the web of symptoms that long-haul TBI patients often face.
Our treatment philosophy is simple: we aim to address all contributing factors – neurological, nutritional, physical, and psychological – rather than just chasing the pain with painkillers or medications.
Contact us at The Neural Connection today to schedule a FREE consultation or to learn more about our TBI headache treatment programs.
Here’s how we approach TBI headache treatment at The Neural Connection:
Comprehensive Evaluation and Personalized Plan
We always begin with a complimentary consultation, followed by an in-depth neurological and orthopedic examination.
Our providers intentionally choose to spend time getting to know your whole story. We want to know how the injury happened, what symptoms you’ve had over time, what treatments you’ve tried, and how the headaches are affecting your life.
We also review past medical history and any prior test results or diagnostic imaging to get the complete picture of your health journey.
This personal history is vital, as it allows us to hear your story, understand your issues, and ask pointed questions about your health.
After the history, we perform a comprehensive neurological and orthopedic exam, which often includes advanced diagnostic tests such as:
Videonystagmography (VNG)
Videonystagmography is a test using goggles to track and assess your eye movements. It helps us identify vestibular (inner ear) and ocular motor dysfunction that can be causing dizziness or headaches. If your eyes have trouble tracking or your vestibular system is off, the VNG will show us specific deficits to target in therapy.
Autonomic Nervous System Testing for TBI Headaches
We might do tests like a tilt-table challenge or measure your heart rate and blood pressure responses to exertion (similar to the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test). These tests show us if your autonomic nervous system is out of balance and contributing to headaches (for instance, if you get a headache when your heart rate rises, or if standing makes your symptoms worse, that’s important data).
Neck and Orthopedic Assessment
We do a detailed exam of your cervical spine, checking alignment, range of motion, muscle tenderness, and peripheral nerve function. If you haven’t had it already, we may suggest imaging (like a special MRI or X-ray of the neck) if we suspect underlying structural issues. The goal is to see if neck problems (like facet joint irritation or muscle trigger points) provoke your headaches or are part of the bigger picture.
Cognitive and Emotional Screening
Because mood and cognition influence headache recovery, we will include questionnaires or interview questions to gauge anxiety levels, symptoms of depression, sleep quality, and cognitive function (memory, concentration, etc.).
These assessments help us tailor whether to loop in a neuropsychologist or psychotherapist, for example, or incorporate stress-reduction techniques early in the plan. All these evaluations give us a complete picture of your condition.
Think of it like putting together a puzzle – each test and observation reveals one piece of why you have sustained TBI headaches and symptoms. Once we identify the missing puzzle pieces, our care team will create a personalized treatment plan targeting the specific problems we found. And no two patients’ plans are exactly alike.
One person’s plan might focus more on intensive balance therapy and neck treatments, while someone else’s plan might emphasize visual rehabilitation and migraine-based dietary changes.
By basing the plan on a detailed evaluation, we ensure we treat you, not just a generic TBI headache.
Multidisciplinary, Integrative Therapies for TBI Headache Symptoms
TBI headaches demand a multi-pronged treatment. At The Neural Connection, we incorporate therapies from various disciplines in an integrative clinical approach. We combine treatments from functional neurology, physiotherapy, vestibular therapy, vision training, functional medicine, and all forms of structural care to make changes where others haven’t.
Here are some of the core components we include in our treatments, often blended in an integrative rehabilitation program:
Vestibular Rehabilitation for TBI Headaches
Vestibular rehab can often be a game-changer if balance or inner ear issues occur. This treatment approach usually includes exercises to improve your balance, reduce dizziness, and recalibrate the connection between your inner ear and your eyes.
For example, you might practice specific head and eye movements that retrain the brain’s ability to handle motion without triggering a headache. Over time, these approaches can significantly reduce motion-provoked headaches and dizziness.
Visual Therapy
We frequently employ vision therapy techniques for patients with ocular motor dysfunction or visual overload problems. These therapies involve gaze stabilization exercises, tracking moving targets with your eyes, or wearing specialized prism glasses during exercises. Brock string visual therapies are also a standard tool used to help retrain the brain via the eyes.
The aim is to find ways to reduce eye strain and help the eyes work together correctly. Your headaches should also improve as your visual system improves, especially if you experience altered vision after the injury.
Cervical Spine Therapy and Rehabilitation
Treating the neck is often crucial for finding solutions for persistent TBI headaches.
We often use gentle chiropractic adjustments or mobilizations to improve joint alignment in the neck. We also use physiotherapy modalities to relax tight muscles (like heat, massage, and low-level laser therapy to reduce inflammation in strained tissues), and specific exercises to strengthen weak neck muscles.
Another innovative tool we frequently use is laser-guided cervical proprioception training. With this treatment, you perform head movements with a laser pointer on your headband, aiming at a target, which helps retrain your neck’s integration and position sense. By restoring normal movement and reducing pain in the neck, cervicogenic headaches may resolve and improve over time.
Neuromodulation and Neurostimulation Devices
At The Neural Connection, we often integrate techniques that directly influence the nervous system’s activity to promote healing and manage pain levels.
Vagus nerve stimulation is a noninvasive stimulator applied to the neck or ear to activate the calming parasympathetic nervous system. Vagal nerve stimulation has also been shown to reduce headache intensity and improve autonomic balance. We also utilize versions of neurofeedback or biofeedback, where patients learn to control certain physiological functions (like muscle tension or brainwave patterns) that can lead to headaches.
These techniques help “reset” a chronically overactive fight-or-flight response common in post-TBI headache patients.
Exercise and Autonomic Retraining
Building tolerance to physical activity is both a treatment and a diagnostic tool. Under careful supervision, we guide patients through graded aerobic exercise (tailored to their capacity) to improve blood flow regulation.
We often perform the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test, which allows us to set target heart rates for workouts based on symptoms. These therapies might start as a few minutes on a stationary bike or treadmill at a gentle pace, gradually increasing over days and weeks.
Clinically, we know exercise helps recondition the heart-brain connection. We’re essentially teaching the body to handle increases in blood pressure and heart rate without triggering a headache.
It also releases endorphins and growth factors that support brain healing.
Over time, this approach can dramatically raise the threshold at which exertion causes symptoms, conditioning the nervous system to no longer acquire headaches with movement.
Cognitive and Emotional Therapy for TBI Headaches
Our integrative approach explores all areas of the brain and mind. And we often co-manage care with neuropsychologists and psychotherapists to provide cognitive rehabilitation and emotional support for our patients.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR, and similar counseling approaches can equip patients with mental strategies to cope with pain, reframe negative thoughts, and manage anxiety.
Techniques like mindfulness meditation and guided relaxation are often incorporated in our program. Clinically, we’ve found they work well to reduce stress and calm the nervous system.
Lowering anxiety and improving mood can take a big load off the nervous system, which in turn often leads to fewer headaches. In long-haul cases, addressing the emotional toll is just as important as treating the physical injury.
Nutritional and Functional Medicine Support
We also want to evaluate whether medical or nutritional interventions can support recovery.
Functional blood tests can reveal hormone imbalances or vitamin deficiencies after TBI. A hit to the head can dysregulate the pituitary gland, leading to low levels of testosterone, cortisol release, and Vitamin D, among other effects.
When found, we work to correct those deficiencies by modifying the diet, incorporating supplements, and discussing healthy eating habits.
We consistently encourage an anti-inflammatory diet – foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like fish oil), antioxidants (fruits and vegetables, turmeric), and adequate fats and protein to help the brain heal.
Proper hydration and electrolyte balance are vital since dehydration can trigger headaches and fatigue. As we’ve previously stated, this integrative mix is customized for each patient. By combining multiple therapies in a specific clinical approach, we attack the problem from all angles.
Think of it like cross-training for the brain. We are simultaneously rehabilitating balance, vision, neck, autonomic function, and psychological resilience to help you update your neurological software while also supporting your metabolic health and healing capacity.
Over time, we’ve discovered the brain and body start to work in harmony again, and headaches diminish as a natural consequence of overall system healing.
The Neuroplasticity-Focused Rehabilitation (Neuro-Intensive Programs) for TBI Headaches
A hallmark of The Neural Connection’s clinical approach to treating TBI headaches is our focus on neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to rewire and heal by forming new neural connections. We leverage this by delivering therapies to maximize brain adaptation, healing, and recovery.
In many cases, we often recommend an intensive neuro-therapy program to accelerate the healing journey when it makes sense.
This approach can take one of two forms: A one-week immersive program (often for out-of-town patients) or a 3-4 week daily program for local patients, where multiple therapy sessions occur simultaneously each week.
Why the intensive approach? Because concentrating these therapies can “jump-start” the healing process.
During an intensive program, a patient might do three treatment sessions daily, targeting different systems as previously described.
For example, a morning session might focus on vestibular and visual exercises, midday on neck and physical therapy, and afternoon on integration exercises that challenge the whole system.
We carefully plan rest periods in between to avoid overload and allow the brain and body time to recover.
This high-frequency repetition – multiple days in a row – helps the brain lay down new pathways faster. It’s just like practicing a musical instrument daily yields quicker progress than once a week).
Our clinicians often adjust the difficulty each day (“progression”) to keep pushing the brain to adapt without exceeding what the patient can handle. Many patients find that an intensive approach provides noticeable relief even within that week. Most experience continued improvements for months after as well.
After the intensive approach to care, patients continue with a personalized home program of exercises for several more weeks to “cement” the gains. This model has helped many patients who have suffered for years with post-traumatic headaches finally turn a corner.
Ongoing Support and Adjustments to Treatment
Recovery from a TBI headache condition is a journey, and we partner with our patients throughout the entire process. We aim to adjust your program accordingly as you progress.
This dynamic, responsive care is only possible with an attentive, personalized, and integrative clinical approach.
We’re also keen to educate patients on listening to their bodies’ signals and pacing themselves with home therapies and treatments.
No One-Size-Fits-All Approaches to Care
As you can see, we do not believe in a one-size-fits-all solution for TBI headaches at The Neural Connection.
Two patients could have the same kind of injury, but one might recover in a month while the other has ongoing headaches for a year, and their treatment needs will inherently differ.
We treat the individual, not just the diagnosis. Our integrative model borrows the best from multiple fields of medicine and rehabilitation for your benefit and success.
It’s not uncommon for a patient to come to us after seeing medical neurologists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, and/or vision specialists separately. While this traditional approach isn’t wrong, individual providers often address one piece of the puzzle, but don’t integrate it with the rest.
Our clinic’s strength lies in putting all the clinical pieces together in a coordinated way to maximize change and healing. By doing so, we often succeed where fragmented care did not.
We’ve helped hundreds of patients who felt stuck, and we carry that clinical wisdom into each new case. Seeing someone reclaim their life from chronic post-traumatic headaches is why we do what we do.
Check out our 107+ 5-Star Google Reviews to see for yourself!
Contact us at The Neural Connection today to schedule a FREE consultation or to learn more about our TBI headache treatment programs.
Because of that, we want to share some of that wisdom in the form of practical tips you can implement at home to help manage TBI headaches and support your recovery.
At-Home Management Strategies for TBI Headaches
While professional treatment is critical for long-term recovery, there’s a lot you can do on your own to manage and reduce TBI headaches. We always remind our patients that healing is a team effort. And what you do between clinic visits (or before you can get specialized care) makes a big difference.
Pace Yourself and Listen to Your TBI Headache Symptoms
One of the most critical principles in recovery is learning not to “bulldoze” through your symptoms.
After a TBI, it’s tempting for motivated individuals to try to ignore headaches and keep pushing (especially if you’re used to powering through challenges). This approach often backfires, as your headaches are signals from your brain and body that something is overloaded or wrong.
If reading for 30 minutes triggers a headache, don’t force an hour – take a break. Adopting the following “stoplight” approach can be helpful:
Green = no symptoms
Yellow = starting to feel a headache or dizziness
Red = strong symptoms
When you hit a yellow light in activity, pause and rest before it turns red. This pacing aims to prevent severe flare-ups and maintain function throughout the day.
Over time, with proper rehab and treatment, you’ll gradually increase your tolerance (your “yellow light” threshold) and overall function.
Think of recovery more like running a series of sprints rather than a nonstop marathon; alternate focused activity with rest. This strategy preserves your energy and can reduce the overall number of TBI headaches you get from overexertion.
Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule
Quality and restorative sleep are your best friends and allies in healing after a brain injury. Overall, it’s best to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day to regulate your internal brain and body clock.
You should focus on creating a sleep-friendly environment with a dark, quiet, and cool bedroom, while avoiding screens for at least 90 minutes before bed. The blue light from these devices can often interfere with sleep quality and even provoke headaches for some with light sensitivity.
If you continue to struggle with insomnia or poor sleep patterns, we also suggest you consider relaxation techniques before bed.
Simple techniques like gentle stretching, deep breathing, or listening to relaxing music can also help you ease your way into restorative sleep. Some patients find using a weighted blanket or a cervical pillow (to support the neck) helpful for improving sleep comfort.
Adequate sleep helps reduce inflammation and gives your brain the downtime it needs to repair. Erratic sleep or all-nighters will likely worsen your headaches and other symptoms after your TBI.
Proper Nutrition and Hydration
Your dietary choices and food intake can significantly influence inflammation levels, healing rates, and headache frequency.
The literature supports focusing on a brain-healthy, anti-inflammatory diet after a TBI. You should be consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables (for antioxidants), lean proteins (to supply amino acids for healing), and healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and omega-3-rich fish (which support brain cell membranes and reduce inflammation).
If you can, incorporate the following foods and supplements known to help brain recovery:
Fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids)
Fish oil has some evidence for aiding TBI recovery and can also support cardiovascular health, which may alleviate headaches. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce neuronal damage, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury (TBI), potentially enhancing long-term tissue restoration and cognitive recovery.
Turmeric (curcumin)
Turmeric (curcumin) is a natural anti-inflammatory that some add (with a doctor’s guidance) to help with inflammation. Curcumin has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in TBI models by modulating inflammatory pathways, reducing oxidative stress, and promoting neuroprotection.
Vitamin D3/K2
Vitamin D3/K2 supplementation may support neurological recovery, as Vitamin D deficiency is common in TBI patients. Supplementation with Vitamin D3 has been linked to improved cognitive function and recovery post-TBI. Vitamin K2 works synergistically with vitamin D3 to support vascular and bone health, which is essential for overall recovery.
Magnesium L-Threonate
Magnesium L-Threonate is a form of magnesium that can cross the blood-brain barrier more effectively. Studies suggest magnesium supplementation can attenuate pathological and behavioral changes after TBI, potentially improving cognitive function.
It’s vital to ensure you stay hydrated by drinking water (with electrolytes) throughout the day. Dehydration is a common headache trigger even in people without TBI. After a brain injury, your body’s signals for thirst might be off, so be proactive about fluid intake.
It’s also critical to stabilize your blood sugar by not skipping meals and including some protein/fiber with each meal. Frequent changes in blood sugar can trigger many symptoms, especially headaches and dizziness.
Some patients may find that certain foods or drinks aggravate their headaches (common culprits are excessive caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and alcohol). We suggest to pay attention to any patterns and adjust your diet accordingly.
Gentle Physical Activity (as Tolerated)
While rest is important, complete inactivity can prolong your recovery if sustained for too long. The key to recovery is safe, gentle movement that doesn’t worsen symptoms.
If vigorous exercise gives you a headache, start with something milder. Your daily physical activity could be short walks in the fresh air, light stretching or yoga, or even aquatic therapy (many find being in a pool relaxing and easier on the body).
The goal is to get the blood flowing throughout the brain and body, while keeping your muscles conditioned to reduce tension and improve your mood.
You can gradually extend your physical activity and endurance as you heal. Some patients use a heart rate monitor to ensure they stay below the threshold that triggers symptoms (like the Buffalo treadmill test we mentioned earlier that can help identify that threshold).
Over weeks, you should gently raise that ceiling and see improvements in your symptoms. Always warm up slowly and cool down after activity; sudden bursts can provoke headaches, whereas gradual pacing improves overall function.
Manage Stress and Emotions
Easier said than done, but learning to dial down stress is very important in managing post-traumatic TBI headaches. Stress responses in the body (like elevated adrenaline and muscle tension) will commonly aggravate head pain and tightness.
It’s best to incorporate relaxation techniques into your daily routine that you enjoy doing. This may include mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation techniques, gentle yoga, and even tai chi. Some patients enjoy apps that guide meditations; others use biofeedback devices that promote calm breathing and relaxation. You just need to find what works best for you and do it.
Belly breathing exercises are also a great tool to use for integration. Slow, deep breathing can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the stress response. The more these two systems become balanced, the healthier you will be. The goal is to regularly bring your body into a state of relaxation, which can decrease the frequency and intensity of headaches over time.
Additionally, don’t hesitate to seek emotional support from outside counsel and resources. Talking to a therapist or counselor about the problems you’re facing can often relieve mental burden and stress. Sometimes just expressing the frustration and fears that come with a long recovery can lighten the perceived load and reduce anxiety-driven symptoms.
Avoid Over-Stimulating Substances
Be cautious with caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol while you’re recovering.
First, there is no safe amount of alcohol to consume after a TBI or concussion, so you should plan to stay away from it. Alcohol is particularly tough on the brain – it can increase inflammation, disturb sleep, and trigger headache attacks.
Many post-concussion patients notice they cannot tolerate alcohol like they used to (a single drink might bring on a migraine or a wave of dizziness). It’s wise to refrain from alcohol entirely during recovery until you are completely symptom-free and back to living your life.
Caffeine in small amounts can sometimes help a headache, but in many TBI cases, it worsens anxiety, disrupts sleep, and can dehydrate you, all of which are counterproductive. If you’re a regular coffee drinker, try to keep it moderate (e.g., one small cup in the morning) or switch to decaf or tea, and avoid caffeine after early afternoon.
Nicotine (from cigarettes or vaping) is known to constrict blood vessels and ramp up heart rate, which can aggravate headaches and impede brain healing; it’s best to cut back or quit, with help from a doctor if needed.
Consider these months as a period to give your brain every advantage – clean nutrition, good rest, minimal toxins. There will be time to reintroduce some of these things once you’re fully recovered (with your doctor’s permission), but in the immediate phase, less is more.
Build a Support System
Dealing with chronic headaches and a brain injury can be very isolating. You are not alone, and you shouldn’t have to recover alone.
Talk to friends and family about what you’re going through – even if they can’t fully understand it, they can offer emotional support. Explain that you might need flexibility (maybe you’ll leave gatherings early or wear sunglasses indoors, etc.) and that your irritability or fatigue is part of the injury.
Consider joining a support group (there are many concussion and TBI support groups, both locally and online). Sometimes just hearing “me too” from someone who has gone through it provides immense relief.
Loved ones can also help you notice improvements you might overlook and encourage you on hard days. If you feel depressed or anxious, reach out for professional help; treating those components can make a world of difference in your headache recovery as well.
You must understand that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. The journey can be long, but it becomes much more manageable with people in your corner.
Keep a TBI Headache Diary
This tip is a bit of homework, but it can yield valuable insights. Tracking your headaches in a simple diary or an app can help you notice trends, share information with your doctors, and generate insights.
This information is gold for your healthcare providers and for you. It allows for fine-tuning your treatment plan and making lifestyle changes when needed.
It can also be encouraging, as you may notice that headache intensity or frequency is decreasing gradually, which is hard to see without keeping records.
Just be careful not to obsess over the diary. You should use it as a tool, but don’t let it make you hyper-focused on every twinge. Then, check in with your healthcare team about interpreting and acting on the patterns you observe.
Implementing these at-home strategies can make a tangible difference. We’ve done it with many patients and believe it’s the way to finding long-term relief of symptoms. These strategies create a healing environment for your brain and body. And while they won’t always eliminate headaches on their own, they can reduce the burden and complement the treatments you’re undergoing.
Many of our patients say that adopting healthier routines and stress-management techniques helped their headaches and improved their overall well-being. In a way, recovering from a TBI headache encourages you to build habits that can benefit you long after the injury is behind you.
Hope and Healing from TBI Headaches through Personalized Care at The Neural Connection
TBI headaches are, without a doubt, challenging – they’re often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and under-reported, turning what should be a short recovery into a prolonged struggle.
If you (or someone you care about) are dealing with post-traumatic headaches, it’s critical to know that you’re not stuck this way forever, and you’re not alone. We understand the toll: the missed days of work, the hobbies put on hold, the feeling that others don’t “get it” because you look normal on the outside.
But we also know from clinical experience that even the most stubborn headaches can improve significantly with the right approach. The key takeaway from this discussion is that effective treatment exists, but it’s rarely a single magic pill or one-size-fits-all solution.
TBI headaches demand a comprehensive, individualized plan. They require looking at the whole person – brain, body, and mind.
And that’s exactly what we do at The Neural Connection.
Our integrative and personalized approach means we tailor your care to you by combining the best of neurology, rehabilitation, nutrition, and psychology.
This kind of care truly makes the difference for long-haul patients, and is why patients intentionally seek us for our expertise.
Healing from a TBI is a journey, with progress that sometimes comes in small steps rather than overnight. But every week of improvement is a victory to build on.
If you’re reading this and recognizing your story, we invite you to take the next step toward relief.
The Neural Connection is here to help.
Our coveted team of doctors specializes in hard-to-treat and complex cases, and we are passionate about finding the missing pieces of your recovery puzzle. Every patient deserves a personalized roadmap to health, and we’d be honored to work with you to create that.
We’re ready to listen, evaluate, and tailor a plan that truly fits your needs – because when it comes to healing from TBI headaches, a personalized, integrative approach is not just the best way forward, it’s the path that can give you your life back.
Let’s work together to make your headache story a thing of the past and embrace a future of recovery and resilience.
Contact us at The Neural Connection today to schedule a FREE consultation or to learn more about our TBI headache treatment programs.
Relief might be closer than you think; you don’t have to navigate this journey alone.
*Note: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Patients should consult their medical provider or primary care physician before trying any remedies or therapies at home.
