Did I reconcuss myself? Same PCS headaches after a minor head bump
 

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since I've been on here. I had my major concussion over a year ago, and luckily had a more or less "full" recovery after 6 months of PCS. Sorry for not sticking around and giving advice to others! I was so depressed because of my concussion that once I felt better I wanted to distance myself from the experience as much as possible.

I have been active, lifting weights, and exercising again (no more rugby). I ended up going to a chiropractor for my neck pain, and still experience some stiffness now and then.

Two days ago I accidentally bumped my head at work. My eyes watered a bit, and it hurt, but I wouldn't say it was a concussion-inducing bump. Ever since then I've been experiencing the same type of headaches I had during my PCS. I've been tolerating computer usage, but yesterday the headaches got super bad during work while doing a basic concentration task. My neck has been hurting again as well.

I am terrified of going through the rollercoaster of PCS again. I'm expecting a job interview this week and plan on starting an internship next week. I'm working a basic retail job right now, but if I got the promotion I would be a loss prevention manager, which would involve A LOT of paperwork, stress (for a bit), and occasionally detaining shoplifters.

I've been trying to keep things slow on my off time (listening to audiobooks in a dark room). I'm taking my vitamin regime again. Is there anything else I can do? Will this probably go away in a few days?

I am not surprised you are still experiencing neck stiffness. It takes many months of discipline and proper care to heal a concussion induced neck injury. I would not be surprised than many of your current symptoms are related to your neck as well as some brain shaking.

If your chiro was doing 'twist the head and pop the neck' adjustments, I suspect you still need more neck care, but much more gentle neck care. You also need to practice good neck posture, especially when sleeping or resting. Lifting weights can cause neck muscle tensing that can be counter to good neck healing.

What besides the eyes watering did you experience when you bumped your head ? Did you experience any strange tastes in your mouth ? Or a sensation like you bumped your nose ? or any vision changes/difficulty focusing, even if only for a few seconds ? These are all signs of a concussion.

Thanks for replying, Mark. There was nothing else significant besides a good deal of pain—I may have had some very slight and brief vision changes when the headaches came on, but nothing significant. Today my neck has been hurting more than my head... it could be that I reinjured it.

Hi There,

Just to weigh in with my experience. Almost 3 years post-concussion now and my head is still super sensitive. There have been a few times I've bumped it (on a coffee table when picking something up off the floor, headboard of the bed when laying down and most recently on the door frame of my car). Bumps not big enough to likely cause a concussion, but they certainly get my attention. Its frightening, and I almost don't want to move after the "thud" for fear of the consequences.

I've found it will cause a flare up of symptoms for a few days - a week after but things usually get back on track. I often get caught up worrying about it, paranoid about the potential damage done and beat myself up for being so careless. Try not to do that lol.

Hopefully things will get back on track for you, I've found they usually have for me, although it is scary any time it feels like things are going backwards in recovery. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone! I am already feeling better, and the only headaches/upsets are coming when I strain my neck too much. Mark was right :) I'm going to try and find some better care for my neck.