Month 8 of PCS....Symptoms still popping up.
 

I've been reading these boards for a couple months now and would like to tell my story and see what others think:

I had a bicycle accident resulting in my left forehead smacking into the pavement this past August. I was wearing a helmet, but unfortunately I hit right underneath the helmet.

I was diagnosed with a concussion and my symptoms seemed to clear up after about 10 days and so I resumed exercise and went for a run. The next day I woke up feeling foggy and headaches began. Since then, I've had zero days without symptoms, though some days are better than others.

In January I began to notice other consistent symptoms popping up like Tinnitus, Tingling in my feet and double images when looking at lights. I noticed the tingling and tinnitus the day after having a chiropractic adjustment. Could this be related?

My headaches are not quite as persistent as they were a few months ago, but I still get massive headaches when I am overstimulated or don't get enough sleep and almost always have a low grade headache.

I've since seen a Neuropsychologist and Neurologist and have been on a low dose of Amitryptiline for several weeks to help break up the headaches. The neurologist told me that the tingling may be from a virus and not part of my PCS.

My tinnitus also seems to be getting louder and my vision has not cleared up. I have not had any imaging tests done, but wonder if they could help diagnose and rule out any major problems.

I'm also curious if these problems could be related to a neck injury sustained during my fall and how I would go about treating it. I have done some neck exercises and chiropractic adjustments since my accident with limited help.

Any thoughts and advice would be appreciated. I never thought I'd still be in this condition 8 months after my accident and would love to get back to my old self!

Thanks!

lb2k04,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Yes, your neck could be a big part of your problems. If the chiro did a twist the head and pop the neck adjustment, that may have been far too aggressive. The C-0 to C-3 injury common to concussions needs very gentle treatment.

Good straight head and neck sleep posture is important. A chin to the chest position is not good.

Some gentle traction and mobilization of the cervical vertebra can help. Trigger point or myofacial release therapy or other therapy to release the neck muscle spasms is important

Unfortunately, you have discovered the limits of bike helmets. Few fit well or protect the forehead because they slide back too easily. They need to be fitted so the front cannot be pushed up. This means a chin strap adjusted to hold the helmet on the forehead.

Just curious, Is there a meaning to your screen name? It is very difficult to remember names that appear to be almost random, especially if one has memory deficits from a brain injury.

Thanks for your response. I've read quite a few of your other responses and have found them helpful.I will look into the therapies for the neck. Are there any tests or imaging that can be done to help diagnose where the source of the symptoms is?

In your opinion is amitriptyline (20 MG /Day) a positive course of action to "break up" the headache cycle?

Username is just a mashup of my initials and some other numbers I've used for many years. Good point about it being hard to remember for people with TBI. I wouldn't have thought about that....

Look for upper cervical chiropractic..and /or expert PT or expert chiro that does soft tissue and other modalities as well a gentle adjusting..
Up C Spine
Up C Spine - A New Approach - Sign / Symptom Checklist is a good one to read