Another "is this a concussion?" question
 

I'm 3 years into my second round of PCS.

Last night playing hockey, the ball (we play with a ball) deflected into the air. I skated towards it, went to grab it out the air with my hand when someone swung their stick at the ball and hit me in the face-mask.

I wear a helmet with full metal face mask. I didn't feel any pain and surprisingly didn't have instant anxiety. My ears did ring for a few seconds because of the sound (the acoustics of the face mask are pretty loud when anything makes contact with it). I'm pretty sure my head didn't snap backwards upon contact.

I felt fine for the rest of the game but as expected, my symptoms were in rare form after the game and all throughout today. I wouldn't say I have experienced any new symptoms, just a slight increase in severity.

I will say that ANY contact to my head during hockey, no matter how insanely minor, will trigger these symptoms. It's disheartening asking these stupid questions when NHL players take sticks to the face all the time and never blink an eye....and I was wearing a full metal face mask.

Thoughts?

I have one simple comment. Why is a person with a history of 2 concussions and prolonged manifestation of PCS still playing hockey?

NHL players have hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line so they tough it out and play through. They do not have to go to a job and use their mind to think the next day. When their career is over, they can donate their brain to concussion science.

Stick to the face mask. Just noisy. Not close to concussive force.

Very fair question.

The league I play in is a recreational, no-contact league. The average age is late 30's/ early 40's so a lot of us have been playing together for years; it's not an aggressive league. I have also modified my playing-style to be more conservative; with emphasis on protecting my head. I have actually never played in a checking league in my entire life.

Unfortunately, hockey is the only real cardiovascular exercise that I can mentally tolerate. I try going to the gym but it's difficult for me to mentally zone-out while exercising. Hockey offers a distraction while exercising.

A concern would not be a hit but a fall. Some of the worst hockey concussions were from falls and head impacts on the ice.

I play ping pong at the gym/Y. I played 5 games to 21 today and broke a decent sweat. I also use a rower for a more serious cardio workout. I row against the clock on the rower. There are plenty of exercise machines with electronic based challenges or even networking to others on their machines.

I have not played a contact sport in 45 years due to concern of a head hit. BUT, I have still had 10 considerable head hits from normal life. They are enough of a risk.

I can relate...
 

Sorry to hear about your hockey related setback. I can relate. 2.5 years after my concussion, and I've had numerous head bump related symptom spike experiences. I don't get them. Yes, they are not big enough to be considered a concussion force, but they undoubtedly cause a symptom spike. I just had another, rather significant setback when I was skating with my kids, lost my balance while basically standing still, and landed very hard on my outstretched hand/arm. No head contact, but a pretty strong jolt. The resulting symptom spike may not have been a concussion, but it sure did a dang good impression of one. 5 weeks later and it's improved a lot, but has not resolved completely. It's very discouraging to feel like you're at one place in your recovery, then to go back to a place you thought you left behind long ago. And no one seems to have the answer as to why? Is it a chemical response in the brain to perceived threat? Is it a neck related injury masquerading as concussion? I've heard a lot of explanations, but none of them seem to be conclusive.

All the best and I hope your symptom spike resolves quickly.

If this condition didn’t impact my life so significantly, it would be almost comical. The progression of the entire ordeal is so irrational.

In the 15 years I played hockey PREVIOUS to my head trauma, I can’t recall a single time where I was concerned about my head nor can I recall a single incident that would have lead me to believe I had or could have suffered a concussion. Not a single one.

In the 5 years SINCE my head trauma, I can name countless times where I have been afraid of suffering a repeat concussion; both hockey and non-hockey related. My sister hit me in the head with a beach ball and I had regression! A BEACH BALL! Even knowing there isn’t enough force to cause damage, still doesn’t help. It’s almost like that initial reaction, immediately after the impact, triggers something deep-down inside the mind; similar to a migraine. Once triggered, you have to suffer through the "PCS-migraine" until it subsides.

Question for Mark
 

Mark,
I see you have a lot of knowledge about anxiety responses from concussions. After two concussions I have this issue as well. Last night I was laying on my arm in bed and lift led my arm kind of fast bumping into my head. Every time something like this happens I get more symptoms and anxiety. I am trying to live by if it would not concern me before it shouldn’t now. Any advice for this?

Hello, some of the reaction could be due to fight-or-flight response (also called hyper arousal, or the acute stress response) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.

some info -
fight or flight response or anxiety - Google Search

Mouellette1,

"I am trying to live by if it would not concern me before it shouldn’t now."

Bud's advice is good.

Some need to practice desensitization/exposure training where they have purposeful touches to their head.

Some need the help of a CBT, Cognitive Behavior Therapist, to help them learn new thoughts after a head contact.

For Mark
 

Thanks! Yesterday I received a massage (I get them monthly) and she went a little too aggressively on my neck and head. I also received acupuncture today (get this monthly as well) and when the acupuncturist was wiping my temple he wiped it a bit hard. I know it’s not likely possibly that wiping my temple with a cloth would do any damage, but I know that is a sensitive area. It’s hard not to overthink these things