2 years post. Still some issues?
 

Hi

It's 2 years since I whacked the back of my head on a Berlin pavement and I feel I'm pretty much recovered. I suffered with really bad depersonalisation, mild tinnitus and noise sensitivity, fatigue, a bit of dizziness and I was struggling to not kill myself for many months. I'm not quite the same guy I was but in some respects the experience has done me a lot of good.

Anyway, I still have a problem with running or any activity that involves impact. I can do 75 pressups in one go and be absolutely fine but if I run down the street I'll start to get a mild headache and I'll feel a bit foggy, low and irritable. The headache will usually pass after 10 mins but the fogginess will often last a few hours. Obviously I'm not over exerting myself given that I have no problems with pressups and I don't see how jogging could ever be inflicting damage on my brain so I conclude that my brain/head has become somehow over-sensitive to impact following my injury.

Anyone else dealt with this? I'm wondering if I should try to push through, as this is how I have managed to get better in other areas.

Like others here, driving over a pothole or nodding too quickly can cause me to relapse. Your brain probably doesn't like jarring. For now, you might want to forget the running and get a stationery bike.

It may also be that cardio exercises, like running, increase you heart rate and trigger your headaches. I have to wear a monitor while working out to keep my heart in my PCS safe range.

I know it's frustrating, but you're lucky that you're able to exercise as vigourously as you do. Congratulations too on the extent of your recovery. Your story gives me hope.

Cheers

Benjamin,

I think you nailed it in your last line. Like Hockey, I am very sensitive to impact or motion. I cannot tolerate a rough road.

Try this. Get some foam ear plugs. Roll them up real tight and insert them in deep enough for maximum noise blocking.

Now, go for a short jog. You will be able to hear the impact in your ears.

Try walking and jogging to find a gait that does not cause the impact sound. You may need to buy some high end running shoes. The new shoes with the rounded heels are designed to change how your foot plants. They also exercise different muscles. There are also shoes with metal springs in the heels.

This will likely be a condition you will live with the rest of your life. If not always, then it may be a recurring condition.

My life changing injury was a vertical impact. It is not uncommon for the spine to transmit 20 to 60 G's to the head.

Learning a new running gait will also make your hips and knees last much longer. So, it is a good change to make.

hi benjamin
 

hi benjiman

you have come a long way

,good you are keeping fit but if something makes you hurt why do it , we learn work rounds so, like hockey says less jarring the better keep up the exercise but change the mode

I know the depersonalization this was a big battle for you, ear plugging would be horrid for me , sharp sounds bug me but the tinnitus and the internal sounds could add to depersonalization issue, with this as many other things it works for some and not for others

keep up your recovery, these small setbacks may not be permanent, but crash helmet is essential wear for sports, not cool but worth wearing

'My life changing injury was a vertical impact. It is not uncommon for the spine to transmit 20 to 60 G's to the head.'
Sorry for being overly curious, but what type of accident are you referring too Mark?

I once fell straight on my butt, the force transferred directly to my brain bringing me concussion no.6

My life changing injury was a step off a curb. I was carrying a large bag of trash held out in front of me in my left hand. My right hand had a wrist splint for a carpal tunnel flare up. I walked across a sidewalk that had a slope to it. The garbage bag blocked my view.

I thought it was a handicap ramp by the slope. I was leaning back with my back arched to counter balance the load in front of me. When I stepped off the curb, I landed with my left knee locked. I injured my hip, pelvis, lower back, left shoulder, neck and base of my skull. It also left me with a "bell rung" feeling. There was no other pain right away. I checked out of my job.

When I tried to put my seatbelt on to drive home, I realized how bad I had injured myself. I reported the injury the next morning. The employer treated the physical injuries but refused to acknowledge the neurological injury, even after a neuro-psychological assessment that showed slowed processing (bottom 10%) and auditory and visual immediate and short term memory in the bottom 5 to 12%.

The doctor said that such a mild fall/step could not have caused a head injury and my Work Comp got denied for the neurological/cognitive component. He denied that there was enough force to cause an injury.

I did the research. A fall of 8 inches onto a hard surface with a one eighth inch deflection (compression of my boot sole and/or skeletal structure) can result in a 62 G impact. If the deflection was one quarter inch, the G force would be 31 G's.

This was concussion number 13 for me. I had one very severe concussion at 10 years old. Three moderate concussions and about nine mild concussions, including the last at age 46.

I still have a persistent problem with the injury at the point where the shoulder is supported by the vertebra along with the post concussion symptoms.

I can get a concussion from turning my head to the side and back quickly and from a ride in the car down a rough road. I have learned to turn my head slowly or from the shoulders. I also know to sit with my back away from the seat back to lessen the impact forces generated by a rough road. I snow ski with a shoulders hunched forward position to lessen the forces transmitted to my head.

With the upper spine curved forward, the back has a very good impact absorbing ability. When it is straight up or worse, arched back, it has very little impact absorbing ability. You can easily see the difference by sitting in a chair with your back arched. There is no vertical movement of the head.

An injury I believe I have but is undiagnosed is some sort of contusion to the left occipital condyle. It frequently get inflamed and stiff.

All of my persistent problems are from a few milliseconds of 30 to 60 G's of vertical force to my head. I would not believe it if I did not live it 24/7.

If it was not for the confirmation of two neuro-psych assessments, I would still be wondering whether this was just an imagined set of symptoms.

Have you had previous neuro-psychological testing done?Never less it seemed like that your baseline was clearly higher before that incident.

The fact that you received injuries to your neck and skull base indicates that the fall was not minor.

I had once a set back of a couple of weeks in stepping into a hole in the lawn, sending a 'shock wave' through my spine. It is frightening to see how low my threshold is with those type of 'missteps'.

For how long do you feel more symptomatic after those really minor situations? For me they do not add much or any to my baseline symptoms after about three weeks.

I am somewhat surprised that you still ski, I sold my skies 3 years ago.

For those of us who were athletes before our injuries, it can be hard to accept that we are now "fragile." Still, it's a physical reality that has to be faced, not a weakness to be overcome. You can't ignore a TBI - God knows I tried.

Cheers

3 months post accident
 

I am new to this site and not sure if I am posting in the right place. Well, I was in a bad MVA back in oct. I am having a lot of speech problems and having a lot of issues with memory. I also struggle to read. I was wandering if anyone has experience this and if they have fully recovered. I am seeing a neurologist and speech therapy. I am getting so frustrated with this. I feel like I am fighting an impossible battle!

M L A ,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your struggles.

You can start your own thread by using the link 'Post New Topic' at the top left of the index page. *edit*

What you are experiencing is common to a head injury. Please tell us more about yourself and your injury. What have you been doing to help with your recovery?