|
A list of ways to beat PCS
I was hoping we could make a list of things that has helped us try to control PCS.
So far... here is the list of things I do/eat to battle PCS. Food: Fish Oil Blueberries Horizen Organic Milk with DHA Exercise/Supplements: Neck Strengthening Exercises to minimize impact on brain Weight Lifting Creatine Also... I've read that the bigger your body mass, the better you can absorb impact.... so I'm going to try to bulk up from 175 to 200. I hope you guys could add some more things I haven't thought of. |
I can understand the value of neck strengthening exercise to strengthen the neck.... But do no see how this can reduce impact on the brain. Also. body mass will only be a factor if the body is the point of impact. If the head is the point of impact, the body's mass will not make a difference.
If these are tips to try to be able to continue to play sports like football, the risk of more impacts will still be great. btw, The fish oil should be chosen based on its levels of Omega 3's and DHA and EPA. Some fish oils are very low in these components. |
I like the topic title. I want to destroy this PCS of mine :D
I've heard walnuts are good as well, so I've been having 'em. I've cut out weightlifting since the stess of even 10 lb. weights can trigger the headache (for me). I'm 125 lbs, despite a lifetime of trying to gain weight. Hope it isn't messing w/the recovery. Thanks for posting- |
Quote:
Body mass would work in the same way. Body mass is not only your midsection or trunk region, it's your entire physical structure from head to toe. If you have more thickness around your head, neck, upperchest and trunk region, your head and brain would absorb less impact if something was to strike your head. I also wanted to add that I've read a lot of your replies mark and love your positive energy. I can truly say you are one of my heroes and i love to read your posts. Keep up the great work boss. Quote:
You can try taking creatine as this will help you gain water weight. I would definitely try to rest up as much as I can until I could hit the weights again because without lifting iron I don't know if I would be able to make it through the PCS. |
Thanks for starting this thread!
I am taking two supplements: Balanced B Complex 100 and 900 mg algal DHA. I also try to drink half my body weight in ounces every day (e.g. if you weigh 100 lbs, you would drink 50 oz) I am having chiropractic neck adjustments and also doing neck strengthening exercises under the supervision of a physiatrist. I am doing vision therapy after a visual efficiency evaluation. Looking forward to hearing others' thoughts! Maybe this could be a sticky post for the top of the forum? |
amazinggrace,
You are misapplying the laws of physics. Any energy that impacts the head has to transit the head into the neck and body. There is no way that energy from a hit to the head can be transmitted to the neck without it first impacting the head. That is why so many with head injuries find that they also have neck injuries. The only thing that may change is the duration of the impact and whether there is a whiplash effect. A skull that is held stationary is more likely to pass the energy to the brain as a coupe contra-coupe impact as the brain bounces off the skull at the point of the impact and back to the side of the skull opposite to the impact. Strengthening the neck will help it absorb the energy transmitted to it with less chance of neck injury. Neck strengthening will include strengthening of the ligaments and tendons. This will provide protection to the neck joints. Bulking up the body can actually cause the neck to take on more energy as the body tries to stay motionless (or at the same motion) while the head and neck accelerate. Researchers have tried to study the impact forces of blast concussions. The head is moved very little but the shock wave of the blast can do great damage. Similar shock waves effect the brain in impact concussions. UNC-Chapel Hill has placed accelerometers inside football helmets and measured the G forces from a wide range of impacts. They have found that sub-concussive impacts which are far more frequent can do more damage than a single full force concussion. These sub-concussive impacts are most frequent with linemen, happening up to 900 times per football season. Lineman have the toughest necks and most body mass. They also suffer the most early onset dementia leading to a high suicide rate in the 40's age period. If you want to build muscle mass without the head rush of sustained high impact workouts, try doing slow reps of max weights. The reps should be so that you can only do 4 to 6 before muscle fatigue. Rest then repeat. Each rep should be 6 seconds or more. The longer the rep, the more muscle cell stress, thus the more muscle rebuilding. |
How are you able to weight lift? I'll assume you've made a substantial recovery allowing you to do so? If you are still experiencing a multitude of symptoms, weight lifting is not know to be a positive method to beat PCS. And how exactly is creatine helping?
|
Quote:
I don't know much about the laws of physics, all I've done is read from different sources that building neck strength will reduce the chances of concussions. When you type in "neck strength concussions" in Google, there are other sources as well that say neck strengthening will help absorb some of the impact. Quote:
I couldn't have healed as rapidly as I have if it were not for my diet. Everytime I take fish oil, drink DHA milk or eat blueberries, the affected part of my brain feels as if it's healing. As far as creatine... just type in "creatine neuroprotective" in Google. I remember reading a study saying that they gave creatine to rats after they had already sustained concussions and the ones that were given creatine healed better. |
Quote:
after a concussion, there's a sequence of metabolic cascades that involve potassium leaking from cells and calcium influx into cells. however calcium is harmful to cellular metabolism in the mitochondria (cellular metabolism being responsible for ATP production). since creatine is a synthetic variant of ATP, it would make sense for creatine to provide energy for brain cells that are actively repairing. however, i'm not sure any neurologist would recommend this due to the load that creatine places on the kidneys. |
I haven't found anything in particular that helps (except Advil...which of course I can't take too often):winky: But I guess the thing I do is just listen to my body. If I am craving this I eat it, even if I do not need it for that summer beach body:p If I need to go on a walk, if I need to sleep, if I need to take a break, if I need to explode (my pillow has become much smaller from the beatings):rolleyes:
Mark lay off a little, let people share without being picky about the details, if it works it works even if you believe the science isn't there to back it up. We are grasping for straws, don't take those away:). We have all had to many docs and such tell us the scientific "You're OK" or the "You don't have PCS just..." Let us have our straws. I don't mean this in a critical or mean way, I am just trying to let this thread be what it was meant to be...a sharing of helps.;) God Bless! Margarite |
I think my most recent setback could have been mitigated by greater neck strength and body bulk - I was charged into from behind and there was no contact with my head but I got a sort of minor whiplash from the impact (unfortunately the effects haven't been minor). If my neck and body were stronger I think less of that energy would have been transferred to my head.
On the other hand I can see it working the opposite way - if you are bigger and have a stronger neck it might stop your body from moving with the head if it gets banged, thus letting your brain impact on the inside of the skull. I was having a chat with the brother of a guy who's done a lot of research on concussion in amateur boxing (including at olympic level). The main focus of his findings are that a headguard makes concussion more rather than less likely since it supports the neck and stops the head from moving when it is struck, leading to the brain impacting on the inside of the skull with more force. Apparently he's fighting a losing battle in trying to get rid of headguards. All I've learned that is helping me is to respect my symptoms, and to take it easy even when they seem to have gone away - my first setback came from a symptom-free week after which I felt safe to get drunk - BIG mistake. I'm trying to do nutrition and all that but can't really tell if it's helping. Rest and activity which doesn't bring symptoms on definitely does help though, just not as fast as I'd like. My symptoms are telling me to get off this puter now - bye and good luck! |
Tons of physical and mental rest (gauge how much you think you need, then add even more)
Good nutrition every day (at every meal if possible) Lots of water Supplements: fish oil from reputable manufacturer (possibly in a high dose), good multivitamin (with strong B component), vitamin D3 Dark, quiet room to recover in Minimal stimulation (TV, reading, internet, email, conversations, noise, chaotic environment, etc) Large support network (family, friends, knowledgable health professionals), to the extent this is feasible - ask for help if others are receptive and willing to provide it Light activity / exercise only if it doesn't trigger symptoms Don't skip meals Practice meditation or listen to music - or find some other way to relax and de-stress, even for 5-10 mins at a time Minimize stress, to the extent this is possible Take lots of naps, even short non-sleeping ones Read relevant sections in Brainlash, Coping with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Mindstorms, or other credible sources for additional knowledge and support Patience |
My concern about the 'neck strengthening" hypothesis is that is can cause a false and dangerous sense of security. I highly respect Dr Robert Cantu. He has been at the forefront of concussion issues for quite some time. He and the others are still researching this "hypothesis."
Unfortunately, Dr Cantu, in his comment "It's just straight physics. If you see the blow coming and you have a very strong neck and contract the neck muscles, you have a much greater chance to have significantly reduced the forces the brain will see." is dead wrong about the physics. As I said before, When you change how the head and neck absorb or react to the impact, all you have done is change the way the impact force is transmitted into the skull in the aspect of whether a coup contra-coup injury will be caused and the timing of the shock wave. Whether the shock wave differences reduce the injury or increase the injury will be based on a myriad of other factors. The most important factor is whether the helmet has an ability to deform, thus absorbing some of the energy. Otherwise, helmets are most useful at preventing broken skulls, not impacted brains. I understand the desire and focus on reducing the risk of concussions but neck strengthening is not going to change this risk. The multiple concussions received in contact sports will continue until there is a radical change in how the head is or isn't subjected to impact forces. A simple way to understand this is with vehicle collisions. In the 60's, cars were built with stout bumpers and frames. They reduced damage to the vehicle but transmitted higher forces to the occupants. The rebounding bumpers of the 70's and 80's absorbed some of the energy but the spring back of the rebound bumpers caused a secondary force against the occupants. The current crash worthiness technology depends on a progression of collapse of 1st, the body panels, next, the sub-structure, then the frame. All of these structures are "destroyed" as they protect the passenger compartment from the g forces that can be so damaging. Bicycle helmets use a similar process. The semi-hard foam is broken or deformed thus absorbing the impact forces over a longer period of time. Force = mass x acceleration. Acceleration is a measure of change in motion over a specific period of time. If the impacting force from the opposing player stays the same, the only thing that can be changed by the impacted player is the amount of time in the acceleration formula. Contrary to Dr Cantu's claim. The impacted player can diffuse the energy by reacting with a change in his own movement to try to match the impending movement of the impacting force. If he is pulling his head/helmet back as the impacting player is impacting his helmet, the differential at time of impact will be less. This will reduce the injuring forces. Last example. Lay a piece of glass on a hard flat surface so it can not move at all when impacted. Then hit is with a rigid object. Even though the glass does not move, the shock wave from the impact will still break the glass. If the glass can move just a bit, it will be more likely to just crack. If it is held firm, it will more likely shatter. The difference is just the timing of the impact force and shock wave. So, get a helmet that absorbs the impact on the outside layer to reduce brain forces. Soccer players will strengthen their necks for better abilities to head the ball. These players will still suffer the statistical loss of 9 to 10% of their IQ level from heading the ball. The Law of Physics is call "Conservation of Energy." Energy can neither be lost nor gained. The energy of the impact is just transmitted through the body parts. 'Nuff said. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
The theory apparently is that since the headguards they use offer some sort of support to the neck, they slow the head's movement down more quickly after the initial jerk. Whilst the skull's movement suddenly stops, the brain keeps moving and crashes into the inside of it, like a person not wearing their seatbelt carries on moving into the dashboard during a car crash. If the person is not wearing a headguard, the skull slows down at more like the same speed as the brain, thus causing less of an impact of the brain onto the inside of the skull. What we really need is a headguard that can fit in between the brain and the skull! So it would seem from my understanding that if any of us sorry lot are planning to enter a boxing match we should not wear a headguard, lol |
I do also take 2000 units of Vitamin D3, though I took it as a general measure even before my concussion. Is it helpful for concussion in some way?
|
Quote:
*** |
Quote:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/22...its-vitamin-d/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...e-a-difference http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=20980 |
I've been getting acupuncture on my skull. My acupuncturist hooks up little electrical things to the needles and it's supposed to send a very minimal current through the brain. He puts the needles on points of the skull where my brain needs improvement. He read a lot about this, he's a personal friend of mine, and he says the electrical stimulation will reduce the amount of time the brain would normally take to heal.
He also gives me needles at points to help increase my energy level because I've been dealing with a lot of fatigue caused by the injury. He also recommended PSP Phosphatidylserine and CDP Choline as supplements to take in addition to the ones everyone should already be taking: minerals, vitamins, omega acids (3, 6 and 9) that need to be refrigerated because the fresh omega acids work better than ones that don't and a good B complex. Even my neurologist recommended the B vitamin complex, but she thinks it works better taken as an injection on a weekly basis - which I am unable to do so far because I haven't found anyone to administer it for me yet. My boyfriend bought me a year's subscription to lumosity so I can play their games every day and I am a firm believer that their brain training games have been helping me get better as well. I try to take a walk every day if I can. I eat as healthy as possible and drink lots of water. I'm doing much better than I was!! July 28 will be the one year anniversary of the accident I was in and I am going back to work part time on August 1. :) |
Seat belts reduce brain injuries by preventing the head from hitting the windshield. With a seat belt on, the head stops moving over a much greater distance, say 12 to 24 inches. When the head hits the windshield or dashboard, it stops rather quickly in 2 to 6 inches depending on how far into the windshield the head penetrates.
G forces and their impact on the brain depend on how quickly the skull stops moving or starts moving. When an object causes the sudden change in movement, the key factor is the amount of distortion of the impacting object and/or helmet. If you were to look at the slow motion replay of a hit to the head, you might observe the head bouncing back off the surface or impacting object. A springy helmet lining could cause such a rebound. A fall to concrete could cause a bounce or could be absorbed by a deformation of the skull. Oddly enough, a little skull deformation or even fracture can greatly reduce the imp[act forces on the brain. The deformed area will likely have a focal injury but there will be less G force transmitted to the rest of the brain. So, there are many factors that come into play when the head is accelerated or decelerated rapidly. There is often a rotational force involved, too. This rotational or twisting force impacts the brain against the many boney protuberances inside the skull. There can be bruising at the outer edges where the brain hits these boney protuberances. There can be shearing or tearing in the center of the brain as the brain twists against the central brain structures. The only way to reduce brain damage is to create a system of padding or such to allow for the impact forces to be spread over a longer period of time which usually means more distortion at the moment of impact. Estersdoll, Vit B-12 is not absorbed orally for some people. There are sub-lingual drops that can be helpful. My wife takes them. The Lumosity has not shown to help with recovery but it is useful at improving brain skills that can help overcome other PCS symptoms by having stronger functions in other areas. Think of it this way. You can try lifting something with your back by going from hunched over to erect. This can injure the back in many ways. This injured back can still do work if the person learns to lift with their legs. By keeping their weak back straight and balanced under the load, the legs do the lifting. The brain is amazing at how it can use other undamaged functions to overcome weak or damaged functions. For me, Lumosity and Posit Science did not do any good because the functions they are designed to improve are already at near maximum levels of function. Most people do not have highly developed observation skills such as those exercised by Lumosity and Posit Science. Improving these skills acts like a work-around as the brain learns new skills and neural pathways for doing functions that have been weakened by the concussion. For example, I used to have a photographic memory. Not anymore. When I do the exercises that require remembering the location of a target, I can not be successful if I try to visualize the location of the target. Instead, I convert the image into a description. If the target is at 9:00 midway toward the edge of the field of view, I mentally say the textual description as " mid 9 o'clock" or some such similar description. I learned this system driving. I can no longer remember what I just saw as I look to the left at a stop sign. By the time I have looked to the right, the left image is gone. So, instead, I say to myself, "clear on the left" as I look to the right. When "clear on the left" matches with a visual of 'clear on the right,' I can proceed. If you have a hole in the pants pocket you habitually use but those pants have two pockets, you train your brain to use the other pocket. Are you guys getting the idea? |
Quote:
|
Creatine
Hi Confuused,
You are quite right about the effect on the brain of trauma causing metabolic cascades and calcium influx into cells. This puts brain cells into an energy deficit, basically their fuel runs out. ATP is the body's primary energy fuel and if this get used up in brain cells, they will struggle and eventually die. Creatine is made naturally in brain, heart and muscle cells and acts as an energy buffer. In times of plenty a phosphate group is removed from the ATP, inactivating it as a fuel, and the phosphate is put onto creatine, storing it. In times of need, the phosphate is put back. So the creatine acts like a battery that can be charged up and then used when necessary. As creatine is made naturally, there is no need for most people to take it as a supplement. Body builders take it to bulk up. Presumably if the muscle batteries are topped up then they will be able to release more energy in workouts and thus be able to bulk up more quickly. The reason for its neuroprotective function, however, is not because it helps us to bulk up. The batteries in brain cells might also benefit from being topped up, especially if there is damage in that department due to injury. Effects have been seen on laboratory rodents. Creatine has also been trialed on humans. I believe it was about 4 grams per day or more. There was a study done for the American military the effects of nutrition on so-called "mild" traumatic brain injury, and the conclusions were basically that it might have possible benefits but more study needs to be done. I have tried taking creatine and found that it tastes pretty disgusting and is also pretty insoluble, so it is difficult to take in sufficient quantities on a regular basis over a period of time. So, I can't tell you what the beneficial effects, if any, might be. However, I certainly think that it is a possibility and I might try taking it regularly if I can find a suitable form that isn't too disgusting to drink. There are formulations of it made for body builders that are powder mixed with flavouring. It might be worth looking into. I think that if you were using it anyway as a body builder then there might be a benefit to brain energy but that would be because of a separate function creatine has in the brain not merely because of your increased bulk. Concussed Scientist Quote:
|
I somewhat agree Cheergirl...I get information overload here on some of these posts (something common that befalls on a TBI survivor). I'm a long way from being able to put together and type out those kind of long detailed post or remembering what they were about by the time I get to the end of them. No offense, but sometimes the posts here sound more like just another doctor rattling off his facts rather than just the average person living with a TBI or PCS.
Again, no offense, but if I could go back to getting, preparing and typing out that much detailed info...I'd be working and not need to be looking for helpful info here. :rolleyes: |
I always wonder with pcs and treatments .if it matters which part of the brain was damaged .mine is left side of my head above my ear .different parts of the brain do different things so maybe it takes different types of therapy for different parts that were injured . as for strength training in all that jazz .im 6,2 215 with a 32 inch waist .I even wrestled from first grade on. Made it to state twice. Let me tell you nobody has a neck like a wrestlers neck. I'm sorry to say in the 70 miles an hour rollover it didn't help too much . exercise and eating right I am all 4 . cos it can't hurt it can only help right .remember were not sprinters anymore. we're like long distance runners. we must all pace ourselves to our own needs. hope this helps .
|
Jinx,
Thanks for the complement on my ability to post lots of information. If I tried to tell you this same information verbally, I would get all mixed up and confused. I use the keyboard and computer screen to slow the way my brain processes information. With this slower mechanism, I can organize my thoughts. I also use the computer screen as my immediate and short term memory. I am frequently rereading the prior sentence to get back on track with my thoughts. It is a skill I have developed over the past ten years by doing it over and over. I can still hit mental road blocks that stop me in my tracks. When that happens, I have to just walk away. I have been developing/learning work-arounds and other PCS coping skills for 40 years. I can function at very high levels if I can set the pace for the task. If someone else sets the pace, I will try to follow or keep up but soon crash. When I reach that point, I may withdraw completely or explode verbally. If I could find work where I could set the pace and not have to put up with pressures from others, I could be very successful. As the occupational psychologist said at my SSDI disability hearing, those employment situations do not exist very frequently. My SSDI qualification was not based on my cognitive and memory deficits. It was based on my inability to work in normal work situations. When I do take on a intense task, it can take me two to three times as long as expected. I need to take breaks when I hit these mental road blocks. I would love to work with others who have suffered mTBI and such except it requires state licensing. I had to drop out of college where I was studying to get into dental school because of my inability to handle the stress loads. I know I can get long winded. I break my posts up into short paragraphs to help people read them easier. It may help if those who found something of interest would print out the post. Then they can read the post at a leisurely pace. I do this from time to time. I even cut and paste posts or articles into MSWord so I can break it into smaller bites. Yes, the PCS brain can easily become overwhelmed with information. Learning how to handle and manipulate information is an important part of over-coming PCS. If anybody has specific problems with processing information, Post your struggles and someone will have a way to work through that problem. btw, After having to deal with many episodes of relapse into severe PCS, I have come to accept that some skills will recover but many will require learning new ways to do things. |
Hello!
Quote:
I wish my family could know that it is not that I do not want to talk to thm but that my head for some reason just goes blank or haywire. I just wanted to thank you for writing this. |
JoeT,
I know exactly what you are saying. The struggle to be spontaneous with others is a big problem with me too. I can not chit chat or do other non-specific dialog. I find that if I need to say something to someone, I need to rehearse it in my mind first. If I don't, I will often get lost or confused as I try to talk. My wife knows when I am just shutting down and can cover for me. Others just think I am weird or rude. Joe, You are with friends who understand. My best to you. |
little things
Some solutions that work for me (apart from the regular ones):
- Night before: make a list of easy, simple things that I could do that day (whatever you can safely handle - ie. water the plants, do the dishes...) - Morning: edit the 'easy' to do list - nap after each thing you do on the list - wear earplugs and sunglasses all the time. The good earplugs REALLY help me. - force yourself to nap at regular time - even if you feel good - have a timer handy - especially by the computer. Set it, and obey it! Don't over do it. - keep a journal: write in in daily or more. Will help to monitor symptoms and identify issues. Also very therapeutic. Good luck to all! |
Can someone please post a thread on neck exercises that one can do at home.
|
I love this topic too! Think it should be a sticky!
FOOD: Paleo style diet Low sodium Low to no sugar No caffeine (big help) Lots and lots of Veggies! -huge improvement Protein smoothies Eating often Walnuts Blueberries Green smoothies Lean meats Meats hormone free No Alcohol Lots of water Lots of herbal no caffeine tea SUPPLEMENTS Niacin! Crazy but I take 3500 a day. I gradually increased as the flush lessened. Nordic Naturals Omega 3 with D3 B's! Potassium 5HTP Vitamin C high dose Women's One a day Glucosamine Condritent (sp) EXERCISES Riding my bike Neck Exercise: chin tucks, stretching Playing! (Read Charlie Hoehn's Cure for Anxiety blog) and the book 'Play' by Stuart Brown MD - throwing a frisbee - playing fetch with my dogs - shooting hoops - dumb regular old play that makes you smile (think back to your childhood or pre injury days) Sunshine! Outside activity for 20 minutes Stretching Yoga Body strength exercises OTHER Not complaining (trying!) Gratitude Meditation (Deepak Chopras 21 day meds are great!) Spiritual practice (for me it's sneaking into church after the music and out before the noise of conversation) Sunshine again Brain Breaks- every 2 hours period 10-20 minutes decompressing the mind allowing it to breathe Breathing Laughter (I'll watch stand up comedy on netflix after a really bad symptom day) |
Dots,
I was able to return to church around 2 months ago after missing 9 months. I too miss avoid the music for all but 5 minutes or so and tend to keep my eyes closed a lot to avoid the fluorescent lighting. Other than that it is good to be back. Bud |
Should I really add creative to my regimen? Is it that good?
|
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:05 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin • Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
vBulletin Optimisation provided by
vB Optimise (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.