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Junior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Houston area
Posts: 21
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Houston area
Posts: 21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cb2188
Hi Everyone,
It has been one year since my 3rd concussion July 2013. I have had tension type headaches everyday since. Today I saw a specialist at the Jefferson Concussion Clinic. He recommended I that go to vestibular therapy due to my eye movement, also when we did the exercise where you look at your thumb in front and move your head while keeping your eyes focused, my headaches worsened.
My questions is: Has anyone been treated for headaches with vestibular therapy? How successful was it? From what I have been reading, it looks like this addresses balance issues.
Thank you for your time reading this and hope everyone feels better.
-Chris
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I did about 6 months of vestibular therapy after my ortho PT was suspicious about my continuing headaches and dizziness. The neuro/vestibular PT found that I had nystagmus, convergence disorder, and I don't remember what else. The exercises seemed so lame - turning my head at a certain cadence while focusing on a dot was one of the first ones - but I slept in my car in the parking lot for 30 minutes or so afterwards because those little exercises wiped me out! It was really a fascinating process, although frustrating to be the one going through it! Initially I could only turn my head at ~80 beats/minutes for 10-15 seconds. The goal was to get to 120+ bpm and to add degrees of difficulty as I progressed. We also did some balance work as I advanced. Do your homework! A couple of hours in PT each week isn't enough to make significant progress, so even though it's boring and "lame" it's worth making the time.
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What happened: I was on my Triathlon bike doing an easy ride through my neighborhood just a few weeks after completing Ironman Texas (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). A driver on a side street pulled up to a stop sign but didn't see me and pulled out in front of me. I tried to make a sharp turn alongside her but fishtailed and went into the side of her car with the left side of my body at about 17 mph.
I walked away with a headache and a whiplash, a sore shoulder, and some bruises but was counting my blessings. I did several months of PT for my shoulder and neck, and I still had problems with headaches, neck pain, and dizziness. My PT insisted I be evaluated, and I was diagnosed with a concussion. I was still in denial, but then I transferred to a vestibular/neuro rehab specialist and learned that my eyes weren't focusing properly (nystagmus, convergence disorder). I was discharged from that PT on June 10, 2014 - exactly one year after my accident - because I was no longer making "significant progress." I did more PT for my neck/shoulder, and on Dec 16, 2014, I had shoulder surgery. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I might never do another Ironman, but I'm not giving up on returning at some level.
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