Head pressure a month after hitting head?
 

Hey guys, a month ago I went sandboarding and wiped out bad, tumbled and landed on my neck. No loss of consciousness just felt shocked but I was fine after. The next day I had a mild headache which lessened with Acetaminophen. It subsided after about a week so I went to work out at the gym but the next day it felt like a tension headache, so I went to the ER where a physical exam came back negative for any medical emergency and the doctor was confident I had to brain injury.

Since then the headaches have lessened but occasionally I will feel slightly pressure around the back of the head to the temples. This is the only symptom I had and I got really anxious about it, to the point of hypochondria.

Could this be post concussive syndrome or just anxiety? Thanks for reading

PS. Originally posted this in the Headaches forum. Sorry if double posting is wrong!

Naitsirhc,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

From what you say, I think you may have upper neck trauma. It can cause inflammation that can wreak havoc with blood flow and muscle spams.

Working out at the gym can cause strain to the neck and make it worse.

I suggest you try some icing and use anti-inflammatory meds. Acetaminophen is not anti-inflammatory. Aspirin or ibuprofen are.

Take precautions to use good head and neck posture when you sleep or nap. Some gentle chiro or physical therapy may help. Gentle traction and mobilization of the cervical vertebra can help them settle down.

What do you mean with "I felt shocked."?

Thanks for your reply!

I noticed that my upper shoulder muscles were very tense and the headaches eased with massaging. The muscles right behind my skull were tender to the touch. However when the headaches returned I panicked and had spells of anxiety where I was constantly googling my symptoms which only made it worse.

And by shocked I mean just stunned after wiping out. However I was fully responsive, and remember everything during and after the fall. I even remember directly after the fall my brother called out to me and warned me that my board was sliding down right towards me and I reacted in time to stop it.

Thanks for the reply Mark!

Yes my neck and shoulder muscles were very tense. The headaches did show some relief with a shoulder and neck massage. Is it possible that anxiety caused the muscles to tense up even more? I got very anxious and obsessive that my symptoms were indicative of something worse.