NR 603 Advanced Clinical Diagnosis
And Practice Across The Lifespan
Practicum (Summer 2022)
NR603 Week 1 compare and contrast
Migraine Headache and Post Concussive Syndrome
In this discussion we will compare and contrast the migraine headache with Post Concussive
Syndrome (PCS). PCS actually refers to a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms that can be
typically found in a patient after a head injury has occured, while a migraine headache is a
clinical condition that most often occurs without a head injury. They both can often present with
identical signs and symptoms. A thorough history and physical exam will be needed to determine
a definitive diagnosis.
Presentation
The typical patient with PCS will present with a history of head injury, which can be severe,
mild, recent, distant and even unknown in patients with amnesia. The signs and symptoms of
PCS can be divided into three categories. For example, somatic symptoms would include such
things as headache, fatigue, photophobia, phonophobia, double vision, nausea, vomiting, and
disturbed sleep patterns such as insomnia. Cognitive signs and symptoms of PCS include
difficulty concentrating, impairments in memory and attention and mental fatigue. Affective
signs and symptoms of PCS will include depression, emotional instability, anxiety, and mood
swings not normally seen before the injury (March & Karakashian, 2018).
The typical patient presenting with a migraine headache will exhibit some of the same signs and
symptoms as a patient with PCS, but include a few notable difference. Migraines rarely occur
after a head injury, but it is possible. A migraine headache can generally be classified into three
different type, prodronal, with an aura and without an aura. The “without aura” migraine
typically presents with classic unilateral head pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, photophobia,
phonophobia, insomnia, fatigue and sometimes clumsiness. Physical signs might include both
bradycardia and tachycardia along with both hypertension and hypotension, which can also be
found in head injury patients. The “with aura” type migraine will present with the same signs and
symptoms as the “without aura”, but with an associated visual disturbances such a blurred vision,
tracers, blind spots and possibly tunnel vision. The prodrome migraine will appear quite
differently with signs and symptoms such as stiff neck, photophobia, food cravings, depression,
hyperactivity, hypersomnia, thirst, diarrhea, anorexia and even constipation (Schub &
Parks-Chapman, 2018).
, NR 603 Advanced Clinical Diagnosis
And Practice Across The Lifespan
Practicum (Summer 2022)
Pathophysiology
The pathophysiology of PCS has developed into an entire field of science and medicine. PCS is
generally considered to occur in the presence of mild traumatic brain injury with no obvious
And Practice Across The Lifespan
Practicum (Summer 2022)
NR603 Week 1 compare and contrast
Migraine Headache and Post Concussive Syndrome
In this discussion we will compare and contrast the migraine headache with Post Concussive
Syndrome (PCS). PCS actually refers to a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms that can be
typically found in a patient after a head injury has occured, while a migraine headache is a
clinical condition that most often occurs without a head injury. They both can often present with
identical signs and symptoms. A thorough history and physical exam will be needed to determine
a definitive diagnosis.
Presentation
The typical patient with PCS will present with a history of head injury, which can be severe,
mild, recent, distant and even unknown in patients with amnesia. The signs and symptoms of
PCS can be divided into three categories. For example, somatic symptoms would include such
things as headache, fatigue, photophobia, phonophobia, double vision, nausea, vomiting, and
disturbed sleep patterns such as insomnia. Cognitive signs and symptoms of PCS include
difficulty concentrating, impairments in memory and attention and mental fatigue. Affective
signs and symptoms of PCS will include depression, emotional instability, anxiety, and mood
swings not normally seen before the injury (March & Karakashian, 2018).
The typical patient presenting with a migraine headache will exhibit some of the same signs and
symptoms as a patient with PCS, but include a few notable difference. Migraines rarely occur
after a head injury, but it is possible. A migraine headache can generally be classified into three
different type, prodronal, with an aura and without an aura. The “without aura” migraine
typically presents with classic unilateral head pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, photophobia,
phonophobia, insomnia, fatigue and sometimes clumsiness. Physical signs might include both
bradycardia and tachycardia along with both hypertension and hypotension, which can also be
found in head injury patients. The “with aura” type migraine will present with the same signs and
symptoms as the “without aura”, but with an associated visual disturbances such a blurred vision,
tracers, blind spots and possibly tunnel vision. The prodrome migraine will appear quite
differently with signs and symptoms such as stiff neck, photophobia, food cravings, depression,
hyperactivity, hypersomnia, thirst, diarrhea, anorexia and even constipation (Schub &
Parks-Chapman, 2018).
, NR 603 Advanced Clinical Diagnosis
And Practice Across The Lifespan
Practicum (Summer 2022)
Pathophysiology
The pathophysiology of PCS has developed into an entire field of science and medicine. PCS is
generally considered to occur in the presence of mild traumatic brain injury with no obvious
