Had a rough night, could use some reassurance
 

Hi all,

Last night my friend backed into a curb and a sign as well while maneuvering. We were at most doing 10 mph, but the abrupt stop made me hit my head on the headrest. As you can imagine, this freaked me out quite a bit. My friend laughed it off and tried to reassure me but I'm still upset about it. Could something like this cause a concussion? I was having a really good night too..

Donnie,

I am no expert but I don't think that would cause me a concussion...maybe anxiety for awhile.

Bud

Was it a soft hit on the head or a real jolt?

It didn't feel like a hard hit, I don't think it hurt my head. But it was sudden enough to cause a jolt.

Well, just take it easy for a few days. Rest when you can. :winky:

I seriously doubt this was anything close to a concussive force. Startling and uncomfortable but not an injury. More of a neck issue than a head issue if anything at all.

Relax.

@Wiix, so you think this was a concussion?

I really don't know but can't hurt to be calm and rest. If you do feel like it's something go to the ER.

No, Stay away from the ER. You will only cause negative comments to be put in your medical record. These comments can result in doctors shutting you out as somatoform disorder. That can be the kiss of death to future care.

Please keep in mind that Wiix has not suffered a concussion. A stroke does not relate to the issues those of us who have impact caused injuries struggle with.

Unless you experienced concussions symptoms at the time, this was anxiety response. Nothing more.

Thank you guys. I feel a little crappier today than usual but it could be just my anxiety or I could've aggravated my neck. I wouldn't have been worried at all but I saw the sign we hit was slightly bent today and it scared me even more.

I did feel worse but it was probably my anxiety response. It just sucks there is no obvious way to know what is a concussion and what isn't.

I realize that everyone is different and one can also have a negative response to bumps because of neck issues, but I whack my head quite a bit. I garden and am generally a person who likes to do things around the house. I also do a lot of hiking when I can, and sometimes

move too fast without my brain noticing the stepladder right in front of me! The point is none of these whacks ever cause anything like a concussion for me. I backed into a pole (duh) in my car and while my neck wasn't happy I wasn't concussed. It seems like it takes something

really significant and out of the ordinary for me to be concussed and by the fourth head injury I know, like really know, when it's a concussion rather than a typical hit that can cause a bruise. I don't want to invalidate your feelings when you hit your head but I'm so sorry you have to worry so much over things that just happen in life. Our brains are designed to take a

bit of wear and tear without it causing damage. The PCS is bad enough and the anxiety you seem to carry with you about having another is destroying things in your life now that could be great. We PCS sufferers need to squeeze joy out of life when and wherever we can find it, even if it's just the small stuff.

Yeah, it sucks that I can't shake off this feeling of being susceptible to head trauma now no matter how small the impact may be. Something like this would've never caused me any worries before PCS.

Thank you all for your responses. I really appreciate having y'all.

@lyndianne, I lived in Eugene for 5 years and went to U of O, miss it oh so much! #goducks

It is far more likely that you've aggravated your pre-existing neck injury than sustained a new brain injury.

When you have damage to the neck, jostling can trigger headache, dizziness and make you feel, well, lousy. In my case, just tipping my head back too far or a violent sneeze can cause me trouble.

Take it easy and, maybe, try some ice on the back of your neck.

Yeah I think that's exactly what happened because my neck pain is worse than normal today. Icing it currently. I just really hope this doesn't set me back.

Headache and neck pain worse than normal again today. I'm incredibly frustrated about the possibility of having made things worse. On the other hand it makes me think that my issues stem from my neck and not my head, once again.

Sorry to hear of your setback. I'm sure it will pass. Try to keep good posture at all times.

I wish you the best.

im gonna give it to you straight. there is no answer to your question.

however, my opinion is that you dont have the physicality to take a hit like that without any pcs side effects.

if i was a betting man i would say you didnt get a concussion from a 10 mph hit

I have mini-issues any time I bump my head a little. It's on a continuum. It's not just anxiety, as some suggest - although anxiety definitely comes up. However, I know I'm not getting a concussion every time. I just think that given the amount of tenderness/brokenness in there, my brain is hypersensitive to every little bump. I don't think I'm injuring it with these minor bumps, but my brain is expressing a reaction in the form of temporary symptoms. (note my non medical explanation!)

I have to override the anxiety and wait a bit and then I generally know it's not a concussion. Sometimes, I need to rest more. Who knows. This is all still a mystery. If I'm really worried after a couple days I can go to the neurologist. (But sadly I've gotten familiar with the difference.)

Although I don't know about the neck comment from Hockey, that is an interesting point that could be possible.

Julie,

That's the same way I handle unexpected jolts.

Keep the anxiety under control and see what tomorrow looks
Like. If nothing happens I can repeat a certain activity.

I hit some pretty good bumps in a tube with my grand daughter yesterday behind my boat and no worse from it. Thursday I hit a series of bumps on a road and had a couple of rough days.

Bud