Is this PCS?
 

Hello, new member here. I fell off my bike 3 1/2 months ago. Hit the back/top of my head. Felt shaken up but did not lose consciousness. About 30min later my vision became blurry and I concluded I had a concussion (3rd in my life). The next day I woke with a headache that has been there ever since. I rested for about 6 weeks without any physical activity. Then I started bike riding again which does not make the headache worse. Exercise helps in the short term but the headache always comes back an hour or so later.

Current symptoms:
Constant tension type headache that varies in location from around the temples, top, and back of my head.
Feeling of pressure in my head
Sensitivity to red lights, (car taillights)
Decreased mood

Things I have done:
Concussion clinic
Physical therapy
MRI (normal)
Chiropractor
Acupuncture
Talking daily supplements

Nothing seems to be working. I wake up every day with a headache. The most relief I can get is by laying on my back with my head slightly elevated. I will get a rush of headache once I stand back up.

Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank You

Nathan555666,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. It sounds like you are suffering from PCS.

You said
"Things I have done:
Concussion clinic
Physical therapy
MRI (normal)
Chiropractor
Acupuncture
Talking daily supplements "

Can you expound on these things. What supplements? What kinds of therapy?

Do be honest, at 3 1/2 months, your symptoms are not too severe. Many have headaches that last much longer. I suggest you read the Vitamins sticky at the top. It has some good information.

If the positioning of your neck/head change your headaches I would suggest trying to find a chiro that specializes in neck injuries, for example Atlas Orthogonal practitioner or a NUCCA chiro.
I used to have horrible headaches after my injury and after going to an AO chiro for several months they resolved.
Neck-specific PT also helped me.

Welcome, Nathan.

I'm sorry about your debilitating headaches. I know it can make it hard to continue with life.

You mentioned taking a break from physical activities. I don't know exactly what a concussion clinic is, but I'm assuming they had you do some brain rest, where you power down on the screen time, visual stimulation, etc. for a while?

Is the headache, when you stand up, so bad that you are unable to drive, work, or otherwise function? In this case, I am guessing you might need to discontinue the stimulation (even standing up?) or anything that increases the headache symptoms until they go away.

Is the headache something that allows you to function, but you are unhappy with the pain and want it to go away to improve your quality of life? In that case, it could just take time. But don't think we are without sympathy, because most of us here are in this situation and we know it's pretty crappy. It can feel endless. For a lot of PCS, there is time, waiting, and patience rather than "fixing".

Hang in there.
Julie

Welcome to our little brain boo boo club.

When you're suffering, 3.5 months can feel like a lifetime. While benchmarks vary from doctor to doctor, my specialist doesn't diagnosis PCS until the symptoms have persisted for six months. Most people DO make good recoveries from TBI. I hope that you will continue to heal, with the passage of time.

In the interim, it sounds like you're doing many good things for yourself. If you haven't tried it, I'd suggest icing the back of your neck to see if it eases your headaches.

I also noted that emotional therapy was missing from your list of treatments. You might want to consider working with a psychologist experienced in PCS. As you are well aware, TBI can have a tremendous psychological impact.

Thanks for the responses.

For supplements, I take
Newchapter multi
Newchapter fish oil

I am now trying
5 htp
lion's mane
Astaxanthin
Curcumin

My headaches are not completely debilitating but make daily life a struggle. I have kept my job but some days are very hard. I will be starting my last semester of college soon.

Stimulation does not make the headache much worse if at all. During exercise there is no increase in pain. Strangely inconsistent with what I've read about pcs.

Neck position doesn't have a huge effect on severity. I have full range of motion. Laying on my back with two tennis balls under my head is the most relieving position. All other positions have negligible effect (same with icing).

The doctor at the concussion clinic recommended physical therapy due to somewhat bad posture. My posture was never perfect and i don't think it is the root cause of my headache. I still do my recommended exercises everyday. I will be looking for a neck/head specific chiro soon.

I was told by both the concussion expert at the clinic and by a neurologist to continue exercising. This has me somewhat torn because the pain is at its worst 2ish hours after exercise.

I know it takes time for the brain to heal but I see little improvement even in the past two months. To let my brain rest is near impossible. It does feel endless and I am terrified of being like this forever. I keep thinking there is some issue I am missing.

I know many of you reading this have it worse than me. I can't imagine how hard that is. Thanks again for the help.

[the pain is at its worst 2ish hours after exercise. ]

listen to your body, it is telling you something, like slow it down more..
The medical professions don't live it , you do...

posture is very important in the overall scheme of things.

Is the head forward of the body?
That greatly increases the weight that the neck has to support, so neck muscle strain is often a factor.

My head is forward of the body slightly. Its always been like this. Yesterday I saw a NUCCA chiro. Who supposedly aligned my atlas by applying pressure just below my left ear. No effect on my headache.

My doctor put me on Diclofenac. This helps the headache slightly but I am unsure if I should be on it for any period of time.

I am cutting out sugar and caffeine in my diet. Trying to make sure I am on the right path.

Did the NUCCA rate the amount of misalignment in your Atlas ? A single NUCCA treatment is just the start. You want to achieve stability of Atlas. You should be icing after each treatment.

The Declofenac is an anti-inflammatory med. If you do not notice any problematic side-effects, it may be worthwhile for a week or two, maybe more to see if your neck stabilizes.

Delayed headache after exercise does not make sense. Do you have a blood pressure kit ? It would be interesting to see if your blood pressure has a pattern that matches your headaches. I believe everybody should have a blood pressure kit at home. You can buy them for as little as $15 to $20 for a wrist model.

Dehydration can lead to headaches. When I get a headache, I have learned to drink a glass of water. It usually helps but it makes my tinnitus worse.

I believe my chiro said my atlas was 3 or 4 degrees off. I had three NUCCA adjustments and I am "in alignment and holding"

I've been checking my blood pressure and its normal most of the time (around 120/80) with some fluctuation. There is a slight relation between headache severity and higher blood pressure. Seems to be stress related. I am well hydrated all of the time.

Last week was the best since my concussion. Really thought my headache was going away until Friday night. I went to a rave, was feeling seriously great like 9/10, jumped and danced around a lot, there was very loud music. I consumed no alcohol or drugs other than some Tylenol and 5-htp beforehand (5-htp has been the most helpful so far). The next morning my headache was back, ringing in my ears, and cold like symptoms.

Now its Tuesday and the headache persists. Can't believe I set myself back. Not sure if its because I was too active, am sick, or lost alignment in my neck.