Are you able to run or ride bikes yet ?
 

Do you jump/run/brisk walk or ride a bike ? If yes how long after the injury did you feel comfortable doing them ? I have some sensitivity to head bumps and jolts and haven't run or rode my bike since 5 months. I wonder if it will pass away and I will ever be able to run and ride my bike as I have a great passion for bikes and cars. I have slowed down a lot and apparently working at 10 percent of my capacity. Any hope out there? Believe me, I will be very happy if any of you said you are able to run or drive.

I can run but I have a very smooth gait. No pounding with my foot plants. Bikes are OK too. I don't think comparing to others is valid. How your brain and body responds is unique to you. The hope that you can return to activity because others have is OK but expecting a similar time line is questionable.

I am 7 months in and can ride a stationary bike for 10 minutes and only walk for 5...

Hi Galaxy1012,

I tried riding a bike 2.5 weeks ago (3 weeks after my concussion--I had a metal plank from collapsing scaffolding strike me in between the eyes). I wasn't still feeling very good but I read somewhere that light aerobic activity should be beneficial to healing a concussion (it should encourage neurogenesis) so I did my usual 25km roundtrip to the neighboring town and back. It kind of exacerbated my headache (gave me back a strong tension and throbbing feeling, which I used to have at rest, but which vanished (when at rest) in my third week). Tried another shorter trip shortly thereafter (12km total), but my head felt worse afterward still, so I've been resting since (barring a couple of short walks and short bike rides to the drug store (approx. a total of 3km for both there and back). Bumpy roads were absolutely no good--either in a car or on the bus.

I wanted to go take another bike trip today, but it's been raining. Hopefully tomorrow. Today, I tried taking a cold shower at least (I had been taking those prior to my accident) and I was a little worried about what the increased heart rate would do, but it felt pretty good. No return of high pressure/throbbing type of headache I've been getting after trying to do high-intensity activities so I think that might be a good sign. (On the downside, I still have a very real cutting/tingling feeling at the front and back of my head.)

My neurologist recommends that I take thinks slow and increase intensity gradually. That sounds like reasonable advice to me--try a bit of each and see how your body responds.

Best of luck,
Petr

I can't walk 100 yards without huffing and puffing and seeing stars, but i couldn't do that before that head injury :)

i think the fact that you guys are trying while weaker people would sit back and give up is great!!

Before my injury I was exceedingly active, running 60-100 miles per week (although that was cut short about a year ago because of a hamstring injury, but I became active in other ways). I've been sensitive to bumps/jolts too, but I started biking outside about 4 months after my injury for 30 minutes (after biking indoors for a while) and it seemed to be fine.

Then I hit my head again and backed off physical activity, starting back at 15 minute walks. I've been a lot slower in revving up excercise, although I stationary biked at 60% of my max heart rate yesterday for 15 minutes, which felt great! My hamstring will keep me from running for a while I fear, but my PT has got me doing these sort of half jumps where you squat and then move up onto your toes almost like you're going to jump to get me ready for it.

Based on what I've seen from other posters, it seems like this extra sensitivity wears off eventually for many, so I think at some point we'll be able to resume our once active lifestyles!

At 16 months, I was advised to use a heart-rate monitor to help build my tolerance to exercise. Up until that point, I had been doing a lot of walking, but seemed to have symptoms come on randomly, or strike later.

I found a walking speed and heart rate that I could tolerate for 45 minutes, without pcs symptoms. I stayed at that pace for three weeks, and then increased the heart rate a little bit. I kept gently increasing the heart rate about 5 bpm, every three weeks; always staying below the symptom threshold. I have found it has been quite successful, and it has been a huge joy to see progress.

At 19 months, I am getting back into the swimming pool for a reasonably vigorous swim of 20 minutes. This was unimaginable a year ago. That said, I continue to struggle with other symptoms. I should add that I have had physiotherapy on my neck from 16 months onward.

Was a mountain climber/hiker, sometimes runner before the accident, couldn't go for a walk for a long time afterwards and still not doing a lot....especially since just broke my ankle during a dizzy spell so watch out everyone!!...

17 months later though was still not back to normal, I get migraines and weird spells so go as I go and hope to get a lot better as time goes by.

well, today it took me about 30 minutes to climb about 150 ft path from a lake back to my car...whoops, crap, lord please spare me a setback, please!

my resting heart rate is ridiculous 80-95 for someone that up until the accident in april was very active. i'm hoping that tapering off the amatryptaline will make my heart rate go back down and the pounding in my head (reason why i don't bolt up, or at least walk at a reasonable pace up the stairs) recede. if not, i'm at a loss for wtf is wrong with me.

that said, 6 weeks ago i could barely drive 10 minutes, needed to rest 20, and could then walk for about 10 min. now i walk/stationary bike about 1-2hrs/day, just at an ultra slow pace. gotta remember the progress and not despair about the present.

PS. my stationary bike has been one of my greatest sources of sanity, when i'm so bored i could cry, and can't handle any audio/visual stimulation i just sit on it and peddle really frickin' slowly. and of course, less danger of falling off it than a moving bike.

I can now walk 1.5 miles with no symptoms. I used to struggle to go on a 5 minute walk, so this is huge for me. I'm 8 or 9 months in (I'm too tired to do the math right now, but my concussion was December 2013).

My dream is to run a 5K in a year or so. I'm going to keep walking for a few more months and then give jogging a try.

Before my injury I was a very active 50 year old, walked for miles and cycled. After my injury I couldn't walk a mile, my legs would stop working it was weird it was like they stopped receiving the signal.

First two months couldn't do a lot, too nauseas and fatigued, about three months in I started walking distance, gradually increasing from ten minutes to eventually 30 minutes by the four month mark. One early walk I did I walked too far and felt really spaced out and didn't think I could get back but slooowly made it! After resting I felt a lot better, so was spurred on knowing it was actually doing me some good. Tried running in short spurts, early attempts gave me a shooting throb in the head so eased back.

Now I'm almost six months in and if I get a decent nights sleep can walk around the city as much as I want. I can cycle too, but need to pace myself. I've tried jogging a little and all seems OK, my aim is to jog instead of brisk walking around a local boating lake (4.3Km) and increase the aerobic side which I assume will have a positive effect on the brain.

I think just being sensible like Glacier Guy and having goals is the way to go, be prepared for a setback or two it's not a linear progression. But you will progress no two ways about it.

15 months into this, I am slowly recovering from this symptom but I still can't take those big bumps in my car. I wonder if I have a dura tear causing csf to leak and causing my brain sloshing inside the skull due to csf shortage. It's a wild imagination and probably would seem crazy to docs specially after my MRI was negative ( non contrast MRI , I hope it rules out csf leak, dura tear)
I am confused and thinking to get a contrast MRI . any suggestions? It is necessary?
I don't have any symptoms like clear liquid leak from ears or nose. Also no headaches neck strains etc

Fyi
 

For those of you who are the avid bike riders, there is a book called " TBI Hell " its a hard read as the survivor wanted his old life back and kept getting back on a bike with bad results...

He came out with a following book, but after the first one, I wasn't to open to hear the latest in his saga....

I did some research on this guy. Basically what he says is that he had a tbi and neck vertebrae fractures. Did he also crack his skull ot have internal bleeding ? How severe was his injury ?

Really struggling with things now at 14 months post.

I can't run at all, walking can bark back at me. I can now swim somewhat vigorous for 20 min. I am 56 and been running since I was 15, I miss the freedom that running is to me. No weights, I can't ski or fly either.

This has left me feeling very empty.

Bud

I'm the same way, Bud. I've run cross country/track since 7th grade-college, and was running/racing post-collegiately. Running in many ways defined who I was, and I miss it a lot. I was forced to back off running about 6 months before the concussion from a hamstring injury, which was getting better with PT but is now back to hurting most of the time.

I have recently started aquajogging, and I've found it's a lot more enjoyable than stationary biking. You at least go back and forth as opposed to nowhere, haha, and it's running specific.