It sounds like most of your symptoms have to do with anxiety. There may have been some neck strain to start everything and then your anxiety made the minor issue of a neck strain into a more serious anxiety response.

The only thing I think you can do now is ice your neck and back of your head. Do it on and off for a few cycles (15 on, 30 off). Try to find something to occupy your mind so you do not get stuck fretting about this episode and relax. Some ibuprofen as a pain reliever may help. .

For the future, Speak up. You have every right to speak up and the hair dresser has a responsibility to respond accordingly.

My hairdresser knows I am sensitive. She lets me put my head back over the shampoo bowl rather than she just tipping the seat back flopping my head into the bowl. She knows to not be overly aggressive as she shampoos my hair. My response might be, "You are scrubbing too hard."

There is no need for aggressive shampoo scrubbing. Nor is there a need for aggressive toweling to partially dry your hair.

If you want to impress upon your hairdresser the need to be gentle, tell him about beauty parlor strokes. First off, you did not suffer a beauty parlor stroke. But, you can urge gentleness with this idea.

A beauty parlor stroke is from the hyper extension of the neck over the shampoo bowl with the cervical vertebra resting against the rim of the bowl. This can stretch or strain the vertebral arteries causing plaques to break free from the wall of the arteries and flow to the brain resulting in a stroke. It may be just a TIA or it can be more serious with a serious blockage. Both need immediate Emergency Room or A&E attention.

Again, your symptoms are not indicating a stroke. I tell you about beauty parlor strokes just so you can impress upon your hairdresser about the need to be gentle.

Regarding sub-concussive impacts. I doubt you received a sub-concussive impact. Even if you did, it was just one. It takes hundreds suffered consistently over a few months to cause a problem.

And next time, speak up. It is not obsessive to speak up. Taking care of your neck and head is important.

You can say, " I need you to be gentle. Last time, you were so aggressive that I was left with a stiff and sore neck that lasted for two days." Then, as the hair cut progresses, explain the beauty parlor stroke in an informative but not accusative way. Ask "Have you ever heard of a beauty parlor stroke ?" to start the conversation.

Now, please go try to relax.

My best to you.