Got hit in the head with a rolled newspaper, could it have caused a minor concussion?
 

Hi, I'm a 24 years old Male that got a concussion 3 months ago during a basketball game, and I am still recovering from that.

Today, one of my friends has hit the top of my head with a rolled newspaper as he held it (no bad intentions, he just did it as a joke).

I felt pain in the area for 2-3 minutes, and then started to get an headache and brain fog. This was 3 hours ago, yet I still feel the headache and the brain fog. The newspaper was rolled tightly so I'm afraid the impact was quite strong.

Is it possible that the rolled newspaper impact on my head has caused me a minor concussion? I'm anxious about that...

CritGomb,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Nobody can say it the hit with the newspaper caused a concussion. There is not enough information to make such a determination. From a simple physics angle, the force imparted by the newspaper was not enough to cause a concussion by statistical standards. A concussion usually requires a forces of 50 to 60 G's for a sensitive brain and up to 150 to 200 Gs for an impact tolerant brain. The amount of deformation that happens when the rolled up newspaper hit you would dissipate the impact forces to well below any concussive levels. But, That snap of the impact plus the sound of the impact can trigger a response.

Skin pain is a different issue. There are 7 layers of skin/tissue that cover the skull with lots of nerves that can react to an impact. They can remain tender for quite some time.

A return of symptoms from the prior concussion is more likely. Add some anxiety to the skin sensation and the brain has plenty of stimulus to react to. Anxiety is a very common post concussion symptom. People can have anxiety issues for quite some time after the other concussion symptoms have resolved.

So, give yourself a break and try to relax and tell your friends that any kind of hit to the head is wrong.