Upper neck injury, prolonged startle response, mental reaction or sensitization
 

Hello everybody.

During the last 1½ year i have experienced several relapses/setbacks/new injuries from my whiplash injury in january 2014.

It seems that my head/neck can tolerate less as time goes on. 2 days ago I “hit” my head on my couch. I was laughing and nodded my head backwards. There wasn’t any pillow so I hit the edge of the couch, but it is made of hard foam, so the material yielded a little, and it didn’t hurt at all.

It was the kind of “hit” that I would never ever have thought about 1½ years ago. But since then my health is just getting worse. My upper back, neck and head is completely tighting and stiff and it doesn’t feel right.

I am having tensions in weird places like my nose bridge and around my eyes. I am getting headache if I read, watch televison or talks to much with my colleagues.

I refuse to think this is a new concussion (or do you dissagre?), because of the slow acceleration, the material I hit, it didn’t hurt etc, but what is it then?

I don’t think it is a mental reaction, because I didn’t think much of it and still doesn’t.

Weird sentisization? Well perhaps, but normally it gets better (days, weeks or months) and if my brain was broken, I would think it was a permanent problem.

Brain inflammation? Well, I don’t know a lot about this, but it would have to be controlled mentally, because the impact force was very small – 2 month ago I was fooling in my car and tightened my neck muscles and pulled my head back into the headrest, and nothing happened then (I hadn’t tightened my muscles when I hit the couch).

So I tend to think that it must be a startle response or a upper neck injury. But I am wondering – how long do you experience that a startle response last? Several weeks?

It could also be a upper neck injury – my original accident was a whiplash. And in my “normal” pcs state I can not run – it hurts in my head. I have also problems tolerating bumps on the road, landing on my heels etc. But if it is a neck injury – how do I heal it – what do you do, if you have similar problems? Neck exercise, swimming, medication or? And is it best to stay active to mobilize the neck or to rest? And why does my neck tolerate less and less as times go?

Thanks for reading - any comments will be appreaciated.

In my experience, this sounds like a neck issue. The upper neck can become unstable from the whiplash. It takes quite a long time to heal and will not likely heal properly unless you avoid poor head and neck postures, especially during rest and sleep when the neck muscles are relaxed. Some gentle neck therapy can be helpful. An upper cervical chiropractor or physical therapist / physiatrist who understand subtle neck injuries can be helpful. The treatment should be gentle. A PT with myofacial release skills may help as you may have spasming muscles that make it difficult for the cervical vertebra to settle into proper position.

I don't think this can even close to being a concussion.

It does not sound like this startled you. Startle response is an anxiety response. It does not sound like you had an anxiety reaction.

For some, a muscle relaxing med (Soma/carisoprodol or the like) can help if the muscles are tense. They are not to be used for long term. With a muscle relaxing med, you have to be very disciplined with rest and sleep posture.

If this is a neck issue, it can take a long time to heal, especially if you can not find someone to help you understand how to take care of your neck.

My best to you.

Thank you very much Mark, for taking time to help me. It is 2 days ago I hit the couch - would you stay home and rest, or would you try to be as much active as possible?

And I feel an increase in pressure in my head - I have some betablockers (propranolol) - do you think they would help, or should I avoid medicine?

Best regards

I am in the same boat, I was in a car accident yesterday and I hit my head (not that hard) but now my neck is pretty sore. Is it best to rest it or should I be stretching it out and being active? Should take any kind of anti inflammatory medication?

Before you take the propranolol, check your blood pressure. If it is abnormally high, then the propranolol might be worthwhile. Otherwise, I suggest to just go about your day. Maybe some very light neck mobilizations. Nothing extreme.

You both could do some icing. Icing is always a good idea when you have a joint strain. Use warm for muscles. Ice for joints.

And, go on with your life. Not every little sensation needs attention. Find something to be active with and you will forget about these little issues.