Comb Drop - Need Reassurance
 

Hi, new here.

This has been aggravating me all day. Could this be a new concussion, subconcussive impact, or just anxiety getting the best of me?

I was combing my hair last night and I dropped the comb by accident onto the top of my head. Only an inch drop. The teeth of the comb hit my scalp and and it really hurt. Minutes later I felt nauseous and had to lay down. I went to bed for the night shortly thereafter but got fever-like chills which kept me up most of the night.

I don't have any nausea and or chills today. Just my usual chronic headache from a concussion 5 months ago. Maybe a little worse for wear because of the lousy sleep but I've been worse. I'm just worried about new concussion symptoms transpiring over the next few days. :confused:

Too Stressed,

Welcome to NeuroTalk

This was not a concussion. The skin trauma was likely a trigger of anxiety. There are 7 layers of skin with lots of nerves in the scalp.

If someone hit their thumb with a hammer and the pain set off an anxiety reaction, they would not think concussion. This is no different except it is close to the brain.

As you say, you are Too Stressed. Anxiety causes nerve sensations to be magnified. In the past, you would have never thought twice about the skin pain. But now, with anxiety and PCS, that pain is like the end of the world.

Are you getting good sleep most nights ? Lack of quality sleep can make even minor issues much worse.

Thanks for the quick response Mark!

So would this even be considered a subconcussive impact? How many G's would you estimate?

Yes, most nights my sleep is pretty good. I've experimented with multiple pillows and have discovered that softer pillows provide the most comfortable sleep which reduces my headache intensity. The anxiety and its related symptoms through me for a loop last night.

Since my initial concussion I have been skittish about touching my head, shampooing, and combing. Let my guard down. It's driving me nuts!

Thanks for putting my (fragile) mind at ease regarding this.

No, A subconcussive impact is like hitting your head against a door frame and only having a momentary 'wooh' with no sensation after a second or two.

There was NO G force involved. It was the points that hurt, not the impact.

Many need to focus on neck and head position with pillows. You want to maintain a straight head and neck position. Head lift is not good.

You should spend some time touching your head to desensitize yourself from head touches. You may have trained a concussion like response due to your anxiety. The brain will act like it is concussed if you teach it that head touches are dangerous. So, you need to touch your head or even have somebody else touch your head so you can learn to not respond. A startle response (Don't touch my head.) can cause a false concussion response.

I would say virtually impossible for any sort of significant impact to have occurred in this incident.

My scalp is still sensitive after 2.5 years past my accident, stiff neck muscles can make scalp sensitive as well.

I will admit to being quite sensitive anxiety wise to any contact with my head that is perceived as possibly injurious but I have banged it a few times with no ill results other than the resultant anxiety.

I'm sure you're ok.

Bud

Mark,

Great advice, thanks. My wife goes to work before me in the morning while I am still sleeping and she dropped a comb on her head 4 times because she was curious to see why I was so upset. She said she doesn't get it. (she's never had a concussion). :)

Any advice on how to keep my head straight on a regular pillow? I sleep on my back but always wake up with my head turned in one direction or another. I've tried every type of cervical pillow out there including the Therapeutica (which is designed to keep your head straight) but they are all too firm for me. If its not an unbelievably soft pillow, my headache really flares making it difficult to fall asleep. Occipital Neuralgia no doubt.

I use a soft pillow that I can bunch up around the sides of my head. I sleep with my right cheek against this bunched up pillow. I have no head lift with my pillow. It helps to have a mattress what is comfy on your back. Most neck support pillows have too much neck lift in my experience.

The most important part is to not have too much head lift. This puts strain on C-1 and C-2.

I use a feather pillow to get the same bunching effect as Mark.

I was able to train myself to stay in the valley.

Bud