Characteristics of headache in vertebral artery dissections

Purpose: A vertebral artery dissection (VAD) is a rare disorder that can masquerade as musculoskeletal head and/or neck pain and requires an urgent medical referral. If the diagnosis is missed or mismanaged it can progress to stroke and death. Headaches are one of the main symptoms of a VAD that precedes ischaemic signs. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the common features of VAD headaches to ascertain if key characteristics can aid differentiation from other less sinister causes of headache with musculoskeletal origin.
Source: Physiotherapy - Category: Physiotherapy Authors: Tags: P173 Source Type: research