Car accident yesterday..
 

Hey everyone, I've been lurking for a while but figured it was time to post because of a minor car accident I was in yesterday

Previous history:
- in Feb 2017, I'd flipped off my snowboard and landed on the back of my head on an icy patch of the trail. Felt a little off the rest of the day, didn't sleep well the night of, and woke up feeling very strange. Went to the doctor who diagnosed me with a minor concussion. Took some time off work and took it easy on going out and partying for a while, but was dealing with some serious personal issues between me and someone I was dating at the time

Symptoms included:
- inability to sleep more than 7.5 hours
- being more emotional than usual
- eye strain doing 3D CAD modeling work for my job
- brain fog and depression (I had suffered from depression earlier in my life as well)

- in March 2017 (about 6 weeks later), I was out snowboarding again and fell not too bad on my butt, but the fall seemed to jarr me enough to exacerbate the symptoms I had felt through my first concussion.

- July 4, 2017, I was picking something up off the ground and hit the center of my head on a doorframe, similar symptoms developed in addition to:
- tinnitus (low-volume ringing in both of my ears)
- anxiety about any minor hit to the head

- August 2017, no head injury, but I had been fired from my job, moved out of a house I had been renting with 3 friends and been dumped by the girl I was seeing for a couple months so there was a lot of stress in my personal life

- October 2017, was surfing and the surfboard flipped and hit the R side of my forehead, where I've felt constant head pressure since

And Finally, yesterday, I was slowing down at a stop sign and misjudged when the car in front of me would start moving after his stop and rear-ended him at around 5mph. Initially I felt okay, we exchanged information and I went about my day, but my anxiety kicked in and I didn't sleep too well last night, and today, everything feels a bit foggy and I'm anxious that I suffered another concussion.

To treat my ongoing symptoms in the past, I had:
- begun to exercise again, strength training and some cardio (try to improve blood flow to the brain)
- have bought the vitamins from the sticky thread
- meditate more and try to move more intentionally as to not put my head in a position to be hit

Treatments I am considering after reading about things here:
- neck physiotherapy
- scalp acupuncture

Questions for you guys,

1. Would a low-velocity auto accident have enough force to be concussive?
2. Because this is my 5th head hit of consequence as far as what I remember in the last 12 months, what can I do to try and minimize the risk in the future (obviously drive more defensively and not distracted)
3. What's the best way to find someone to treat the subtle neck injuries Mark in Idaho talks about?

Thanks for the help

If that rear-ender did not cause your airbag to go off, the forces were not even close to a concussive force. The whiplash may have traumatized your neck and cause muscle tightening that can be problematic.

When looking for neck therapy, it is a crap shoot. No one speciality can provide the proper treatment. As I have said, What worked for me was myofacial release to reduce the neck muscle spasms then gentle traction and mobilization to help the cervical vertebra settle into proper position. Follow this with disciplined behaviors to not stress the neck during sleep.

I've had more struggles in the morning from bad sleep and sleep posture than from activities in the day.

No way you were concussed.

START WEARING A HELMET while snowboarding. I poo pooed all the sissies wearing helmets on the slopes for years. Since my accident my helmet for water and snow is the first thing I pack up and wouldn't be caught dead without one. They really do work and are quite comfortable.

Bud

Finding a good physio can be difficult. But I personally find a physio who is specialized in neuro (and myofacial release) the best option.

Both my neighbour and a in law are physiotherapists. I discussed my symptoms with them but they said they couldnt help me much. My neighbour reffered me to a neurophysio and the symptoms arent a mystery to that person. They have much better understanding of the location and mechanism of neurological symptoms. I found that it made a huge difference over a normal pt. They even brought my tinnitus way down, whilst my in law said "we cant treat tinnitus".

That's mostly what I'm thinking. I've gained more anxiety through minor head contact over the last year and I'm hoping that the more mental symptoms are just my body reacting to that and not actual physical damage to my brain.


What do you think about the CATS method? There's a chiropractor** that has a video of her doing some work on a PCS patient on youtube (search "Cranial adjustment C.A.T.S. Turner Method", **

I've also found the "Sports and Spine Therapy of Marin" clinic that seems to prioritize spinal injuries as well

Thoughts from you guys?

The CATS method depends on the cranial sutures still being movable or not fused. The cranial adjustment community claims the sutures remain open into the 40s and 50s. The man stream community believes they are fused or closed by 25.

A study I read long ago tried to find commonality in diagnosing whether the sutures are fused or open and read the abnormality. 10 different practitioners 'reading' 10 different patients had no commonality in their reads beyond random chance.

There is a lot of alternative therapies in Marin County. Are the CATS treatments adjusting the cranial plates or is there a value to releasing spasming muscles in a myofacial or pressure point therapy? Studies show sham therapies can have a 60% placebo value, even more when the cost of the therapy is higher.

Each person has to do their own checking to see how they respond. As I usually say, don't spend the rent money on these protocols but if you believe the promotional explanation, some may be worth a try.