Damage to blood vessels in the neck and head, can cause headaches. The type of damage I’m talking about is arterial dissection. This can happen after trauma, but sometimes the trauma is very innocuous, or there is no trauma at all. Also, sometimes this type of problem is associated with stroke like symptoms, but sometimes it’s just a headache.

Trauma that can lead to dissection includes whiplash type injuries, anything with prolonged hyperextension of the neck, and even cracking your own neck. So be careful out there… protect your head and neck.