Hi there,

I've having a persistent long-term concussion symptom that I can't quite seem to get a handle on, and wondering if anyone had any ideas or experience with this.

I got my concussion over 2 years ago and I'm now largely doing fine, little to no cognitive issues. However, I have a persistent tension in my head and neck - I would call it muscle tension, around the whole head and in the eyes. It feels like many layers of tightness that have folded over on themselves, getting more and more dense each time. I think it's related to anxiety.

I wouldn’t describe it as a headache but I’m sure it’s a similar mechanism to people who get tension headaches after a concussion, where the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system predominates over the parasympathetic (rest and digest) system, and you get tightness and tension because of this dysregulation.

Probably the most annoying effect is that if I lay down on one side of my head for too long, the other side will start to pull and stretch, eventually coming painful. I haven't slept on my back for about a year and a half for this reason.

I've tried everything I can to get the tension to open up completely, including massage, taking magnesium, meditation, hot/cold showers, acupuncture, weighted blankets, etc. but it's still there. Currently looking into getting botox to help loosen it.

Has anyone experienced this, and does anyone have other ideas about how to address it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!