Acute post-traumatic headache, intractable

This code describes a headache that develops after a traumatic injury, such as a concussion or head trauma, and is resistant to standard medical treatment. "Intractable" signifies that the headache is chronic and severe, failing to respond adequately to therapeutic interventions.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates a headache directly resulting from a traumatic event, and the provider explicitly states the headache is "intractable" or "refractory to treatment." This typically applies to patients experiencing persistent, debilitating post-traumatic headaches despite ongoing medical management.

• Ensure the documentation explicitly links the headache to a traumatic event and specifies "intractable" or "refractory."
• Do not use this code if the headache is responsive to treatment or if the traumatic origin is not clearly established.
• Consider sequencing this code after the primary injury code if the trauma is still being actively treated.