Yes.

Treat the neck injury. If symptoms lessen or dissipate by fixing whatever is irritating the neck, then the pain was originating from the neck. The brain has no pain receptors, so a headache does not originate from the brain, but from the muscles of the head and neck which contract and become tense which lead to the headache.

When I originally got injured my doctor recommended a Chiropractor and then an Osteopath. Frankly, both were wastes of time and money. I don't think they knew at all what they were talking about. Their treatments were designed around treating my symptoms and not the underlying issues.

For some reason I never thought to go to my Physiotherapist. Everybody has told me to rest, so that's what I've done. I actually went just yesterday to my Physio for the first time (for this injury).

The verdict is still out as to whether or not his treatment will resolve my issues, but early indications are positive. He made a diagnosis within minutes and was able to describe my symptoms better than I can and before I even had a chance to tell him everything that's been going on.

Headache, balance issues, vertigo, nausea, light and sound sensitivity and tinnitus (ringing ears) can all be caused by cranial and spinal nerve damage. Fortunately, this all seems to be easily treatable.

He says I have an injured spinal accessory nerve. My Physio indicated that injuries to the nerves of the head and neck are very, very common in "whiplash" type injuries. The accessory nerve is particularly vulnerable. He said he treats many injured accessory nerves at any one time.

One thing he did mention is that these types of injuries often do not resolve on their own. He has had cases where people come in two years post MVA and their symptoms are getting worse still.

If you feel you have a neck issue, I would recommend seeing a Physiotherapist who is experienced in dealing with "whiplash" injuries (I suspect most are given how common these are).