has anyone tried accupuncture?
 

It has been about 22 months since my concussion.. I have been back to work as a registered nurse for about a year now.. I can do my job, but I have a hard time reading anything that requires thinking (i..e. nursing or medical journals). I get light headed, can't concentrate on the info etc. As someone who has always loved learning it is soooo frustrating! Has anyone tried accupuncture? I was wondering if it could help alleviate some of my pcs symptoms.. I feel that I am not living life.. I go to work and lay around the house recovering on my days off...

Hi Sunshine, I have the same issues and have been thinking of trying acupunture also. It's hard for people in my life (including myself) to understand how I can handle the autopilot parts of life but not the thinking stuff. I'm ~18 months since the injury. Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but I can sure relate! Maybe someone else will happen along with more info...

Please see if you can't find a vision therapist to help you. My daughter got to a point where she could read for pleasure but text books, etc., caused symptoms. The vision therapy gave this part back to her.

In a similar vein, accuPRESSURE on your face, esp around the eyes, can relax your strained eye muscles. I learned it through Gail Denton's book Brainlash.

Sorry...no input on accupuncture.

Vision therapy
 

A year and a half ago my opthamomogist said vision therapy was a waste of money, that the research regarding it was iffy at best.. That any improvement that happens occurs regardless of whether you have vision therapy or not.

That's what the neuro-opthamalogist I saw recently told me as well, that things would resolve in time and that the therapy wasn't worth the money. He was very knowledgable about brain injury (I was surprised!), far more than the first neurologist I saw long ago. It's hard to know for sure though, because I think different people respond to things in different ways. PCS Learner, I'd love to hear more detail about what the vision therapy entailed, I know it helped your daughter.

Hi,

I'm in vision rehab now and I can say that it has defintely helped me. The reason I know it's not just a matter of time passing is because my injury, which was caused by an infection, happened over 3 decades ago. Visual processing symptoms, including balance, have improved since starting vision rehab a few months ago.

The area of my brain that is impacted is intimately connected to eye movements and visual processing. Visual processing problems were picked up a couple years post-injury but no therapy was offered. I did not learn about vision rehab until this summer and have been in therapy now for a few months.

Although my eyesight is 20/20, the visual processing problems made reading and navigating crowds, watching tv etc very difficult. I'm not "cured" but the rehab sessions, at home excercises and glasses which have a special prescription and coating have helped tremendously. And I've very hopeful they will help more as I progress in treatment. For me, this has been incredible!

I know everyone is different and every type of injury is different. The vision rehab doctor specializes in head trauma and has told me that he has had much success with people who have all different types of head injuries, for all different types of reasons. It seems to me visual processing assessment should be offered to everyone impacted by a brain injury and that the need for rehab should be assessed and offered, if appropriate.

I think it can be difficult when a dr tells you something is not worthwhile. Of course, sometimes the dr is right- but not always. I think it is also important to value your intuition and instincts in learning about treatments that may provide support to you.

If you decide to consult with a optometrist, I suggest going to a neuro-optometrist who specializes in head trauma.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
-Hazzell

Yes, try acupuncture
 

I went for acupuncture because nothing else was helping. I found so far it is the only thing that did help. I was a mess: dizziness, fog, sound sensitivity, nausea, can't think etc. etc. and the acupuncturist put a few needles in and I can't say it was a pleasant experience, but it did temporarily relieve the symptoms, which for me was the difference between night and day. I would definitely try it. But I think it's best to find someone who knows what they're doing, get a recommendation from someone you know.

My daughter's experience with vision therapy was very similar to Hazzell's. I can't say it any better than that.

Her therapy was a course of 14 weekly in-office training sessions (exercises on the computer and different eye/hand coordination activities) and daily at home work. She continued the homework for several weeks.

I will add this anecdote. At one point during therapy my daughter told her therapist that her symptoms were only returning when she was very tired or overly stressed. He said, "What do you do when this happens?" She answered, "I focus my eyes the way (one particular exercise) taught me to do." He winked at me over her head and said, "So how long do you think you were seeing double?" She answered, "Almost a year."

I was flabergasted. She had lost her ability to see in 3D, she was seeing double, and her center line was over her left cheekbone instead between her eyes. Somehow she didn't really realize it. Perhaps have someone help you walk a straight line and see how your balance is. My daughter was all over the place until the doctor put prism lenses on her. Those corrected her perception of center and she was able to walk perfectly straight.

We also went to two different neuro opthamologists who did not give vision therapy much credit. I did my own research and decided to give it a very cautious try. You might want to google "war veterans and vision therapy". There was a great series on NPR about the VA recognizing the need for vision therapy following brain injury.

I can't guarantee that she wouldn't have gotten better without vision therapy. All I can promise is that she believes it helped her and she's the one experiencing it. She is 4 months past her last session and is doing well in honors classes in school, reading well, exercising, etc. All the best to all of you.

One more thing...the therapy cost around $1,500, plus something like $300 for prism glasses. This was not covered by insurance due to the small amount of research to back it up.

I've tried acupuncture back when I had PCS. (had it two years, went away on its own.) Anyway, I'd suggest it because although it arguably only helped me temporarily (days at a time). I have heard quite a few success stories from others. what's there to lose by trying?