Nearly 8 Months PCS, daily headaches have worsened.
 

I have been suffering with PCS after a motorbike accident last August for nearly 8 months now.

I hit the side of my head, and cracked my helmet. I didn't get knocked out and would've thought it was a fairly minor tbi as far as they go.

My balance was very poor for about 5 weeks after the accident as well as headaches that could be treated with paracetomol.

At 4 weeks I got a post traumatic migraine with aura.

Since maybe 3 months PCS my headaches have gotten worse, I used to have days where I didn't feel any need to take painkillers.

For as long as I can remember now I've wanted to take pain killers every day but avoid them as they don't really work anyway now.

I have tried Amytriptylene.

I have tried accupuncture

I have tried Osteopathy, and continue to see a cranial osteopath who finds the bones in my head release quicker each time she treats me.

I am currently using Propranolol 40mg 2 x daily and have been on this for a few days, expecting it to take 2 weeks to know if it's going to be of benefit.

Besides that I am exercising every day (barbell workout 3 x a week, swimming on off days). Excercise relieves headache but it comes back shortly afterwards.

I went back to work for the first time yesterday but only managed 4 hours and had a headache the entire time. I work in IT and need to use screens a lot which makes the headache worse.

I get a strange sensation when I focus on things that they are pulsing with my vision, it's very mild and I have to really look for it. I also feel dizzy sometimes but have no problem balancing on one leg.

I feel that I've come so far with this illness but am yet so far from being able to work due to the headaches.

Is there anything else I can be doing? I was told this would last 6 weeks, at 7 months I keep worrying that I'm never going to get my life back, and in the meantime I'm depleting my savings!

Please help!

Conrad

I am at almost 9 months and was told not to lift weights at this point. Causes too much pressure? I am allowed to walk or do yoga, swim or ride a stationary bike but no weights. Just a thought but maybe try stopping those for a while and see what happens. I know how frustrated you must be. I hope the current medication you're on starts kicking in for you!

Oh and maybe you should get your eyes checked. That might be adding to your problem.

Good luck
CC

Brick Top,

Like you I got migraine with aura and I am coming upto 5 months PCS, I also went 3 months without taking proper pain relief for it. It was and is provoked by too much activity, exercise, light, noise and stress. My migraines have been helped greatly with Imigran which is a migraine medication, and my PCS has been helped greatly by Cymbalta which is an antidepressant with pain killing qualities. The psychological side of PCS is very closely related to the biological symptoms, one feeds into the other and vice versa, so being stressed about symptoms doesn't help. Try and get relaxed and get plenty of quiet rest as well, it is a temporary condition which will improve.

Two ideas
 

1. Do your headaches feel like they could be caused by eyestrain at all? Are you on the computer a lot? You could see a neuro ophthalmologist to make sure there isn't a vision problem causing your headaches. A regular ophthalmologist won't be able to diagnose the problem.

2. I would think that it could be even more likely that a neck injury could be contributing to your headaches. I had a personal experience where I thought I was having concussion-related headaches, but really it was a problem with my spine. I had a gap between my C-2 and C-3 vertebrae. Once I went to a physical therapist who was a spine specialist trained in the Mulligan technique, she was able to fix the problem in about a minute. It was amazing. She also taught me how to fix it myself were the problem to recur. I went from having a horrible daily headache for a month and a half, to being pretty much fine. I hope you have an easily fixable problem like this! Whatever is wrong, my advice is, don't stop looking for answers. I also got my vitamin and hormone levels checked, and they were fine, but it could've been something like that contributing to my headaches. You never know! Good luck!

how do you do the Mulligan technique?

I went throughsimilar things....getting vision assessed (not just your eyes!!,) by a neuro opthamologist was a major breakthrough inunderstanding the injury and in starting to improve. Before thati it was a complete blockage.

Check out the nora website and google mtbi and vision to get more info.

Good luck. Slowly you will feel better. Slowly......unfortunately! :)

Dear Bricktop,

Sorry yr exp. this pain.
Trouble with the head is we are the most aware of this part of our body over all other parts. If we have pain in our head it is inescapable.
But, when suffering something as you have and coming to expect head pain......I do believe that alone can bring on the pain. You may be worrying subconsciously that you will get more head pain and are therefore causing it.

If however that is not the case I would suggest you simply have inflamation of the nerves around your neck and these are not being given time to heal. All the treatments and exercise are actually not helping at the moment.

Ice your neck and alternate this with warmth regularly and see if this helps.

All these pain killers are not the answer to a long term solution. Try to tolerate some pain and then you will tell what is helping to relieve it. It will get better with time that is logical. Even if you have an structural issue with your back or neck your brain in time will stop registering the pain.
If you need more reassurance then go back to your GP and get him to explain things to you again.
Good luck

6weeks?
 

WoW these MDs never seem to amaze me!Are some of them stuck in the stone ages?Sorry I just hate that all these MDs have so many different answers because they do not even know....I am sorry you are going threw this and there really is not a time limit till you will get better!Im going on 2 years and will never be 100% not scientifically.:hug:

The Mulligan Technique
 

From my perspective, it was like a miraculous laying on of hands, but scientifically speaking, it involves gentle manipulations to mobilize and realign your spine, though it can be applied to the whole muscoskeletal system.

brick ... headaches
 

Brick, you could be having post traumatic headaches which is what I belieive I am deaing with. A combination of neck related issues as well as Migraines. I have not been given an exact DX because i think there are a number of possibilities. I know when my neck is being worked on lately by PT am getting nauseum that lasts for hours after. I was told this was because neck muscles are pressing on my throat?? Not sure who or what to beleive. I also get migraine ice cream HA's and HA's that travel from back of head together and seperately so after a head injury I suspect you got a lot of things out of wack with nerves, muscle and disc issues.

i would also like to know what the Mulligan technique is