Whiplash vs CSF leak

I had a very minor whiplash injury 10 days ago but was able to carry on normal activities and run for over an hour a couple of days after. 4 days after the event my neck pain worsened and I suffered from extreme nausea.I had a severe headache and was admitted overnight for a CT of my brain which was fine. The following day I had another sudden severe headache and was taken into hospital again. The MRI and MRA were normal, and I was discharged with a diagnosis of whiplash injury. What makes me wonder about the CSF leak is that the lady in the bed next to me had exactly the same symptoms, including a metallic taste in my mouth, a post nasal drip, and intermittent watery runny nose. My ears pop when I swallow as well and I had thought it all down to sinuses. My sinuses were fine on the scans. I feel so unwell that I find it hard to believe that all my symptoms are from a minor neck injury. I have a very high pain threshold.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Hi, Thank you for your question. CSF leak or spinal headache usually resolves within few days or week as many of the causes of leak go away on their own after a few days. Complete bed rest or blood patches for several days are usually recommended. Therefore, I do not foresee your continuous headache even after many years is due to CSF leak. Other possibilities like sinusitis, migrainous, cluster and tension type headache that may occur after an injury and need to be evaluated thoroughly with the help of a neurologist here. Migraine like headache can be throbbing, one sided of face & head and preceded by aura (starts with blurred vision). Cluster headache may appear as burning, explosive in nature and tear appears from eyes. Therefore, it will be best to consult a neurologist to find out the nature of headache in order to start the appropriate treatment. Hope this helps.