Banged shoulder against sliding door.. could this cause a concussion
 

I was walking through a sliding door and did not realize it was closing instead of opening so the metal sliding door banged into the side of my shoulder very hard since I basically walked right into it:mad:. The force kind of knocked me back and jolted my body backwards. I could feel the impact vibrate to my head and the force of it made my teeth chatter together ( I think this is because my mouth was open so something about the impact pushed my teeth to clamp down on eachother).

Could this force have caused a concussion?

Welcome stress_out_girl. :welcome_sign:

Hi I'm still wondering about the question I posted on here earlier.

I'm starting to get really anxious about it since my shoulder is hurting where I impacted it but I also have a sore neck and am developing a bad headache.

I have a history of concussions and PCS so I'm super scared that this jolt triggered another concussion.

stressed_out_girl,

Welcome to NeuroTalk

Did you sense any IMMEDIATE dazed and confused sensation, just for a second?

If not, then, NO, this was not a concussion.

It is very difficult to get a concussion without a head impact. A seat belt concussion, where you are thrown against your seat belts in a sudden car collision stop would also cause an injured sternum/chest and serious whiplash. Even then, most of the concussion would be a cervical (upper neck) concussion.

A shoulder bump is not enough to cause such a cervical concussion.

A simple question.

If I or anybody said this could have been a concussion, what would you do about it?

There is NO general treatment for a concussion.

I was going to say that someone would be along who might be able to help.

Thank you so much for the response Mark!


You asked about if I felt any IMMEDIATE dazed and confused sensation. I am not sure if I remember fully because, as I said before I have a history of PCS and anxiety surrounding head bumps so my instant response was incredible anxiety and stress. I am therefore not sure if I felt dazed or confused but I do not think so as far as I remember. However, I am not sure how relevant this is because is it not possible for symptoms to only show up later?

You also asked "If I or anybody said this could have been a concussion, what would you do about it?' For me, it is very important to know if this could have caused a concussion because I stress about it a lot to the point where I could even create/make symptoms worse. Since bumping my shoulder I have been experiencing headaches, pain in my neck on the same side as the shoulder bump, dizziness, trouble sleeping, and brain fog/problems with concentrating. I am not sure how much these symptoms are actually triggered by the bump to my shoulder and how much they are simply due to my stress response and my hyper-focus on my physical symptoms.

I would therefore like to know if you think it would be possible for this impact to cause a concussion. You said it could not cause a cervical concussion, but what is the difference between a cervical and a regular concussion? And could this impact cause a regular concussion? Especially considering that the force made my teeth chatter/knock onto each other? The fact that my teeth vibrated really makes me worried since I really do think the force of the door vibrated through to my head, especially considering I was walking forward very quickly and with forward momentum and the door thus totally knocked me back very hard.


Especially given that my neck is hurting, do you think it is possible that the push to my shoulder could have jostled my neck because it pushed that side of my body backwards, thereby causing my neck to rotate and injuring my neck and head?

When a concussion causes symptoms to show up later, there is a immediate and momentary "dazed and confused" sensation. We often can quickly regain focus from that momentary dazed and confused feeling. Some of us experience a metallic taste in our mouth, too.

The symptoms that ONLY show up later after a bump with no immediate symptoms are due to anxiety and maybe neck strain/trauma. People THINK themselves into symptoms.

"You also asked "If I or anybody said this could have been a concussion, what would you do about it?' For me, it is very important to know if this could have caused a concussion because I stress about it a lot to the point where I could even create/make symptoms worse. Since bumping my shoulder I have been experiencing headaches, pain in my neck on the same side as the shoulder bump, dizziness, trouble sleeping, and brain fog/problems with concentrating. I am not sure how much these symptoms are actually triggered by the bump to my shoulder and how much they are simply due to my stress response and my hyper-focus on my physical symptoms."

So, if somebody told you it was a concussion, that would cause you to stress out MORE. ???

NO, You do not need to know if a bump was a concussion. It serves NO beneficial purpose. 99+% of bumps are not concussions.

So, if it IS a concussion, what would you do besides stress about it?

When you have a bump, just get on with life. Bumps happen. DO NOT LOOK FOR SYMPTOMS. If you look for symptoms, YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND THEM. Your anxious mind will make up symptoms if you LOOK for symptoms. Your hyper-focus on physical symptoms is your enemy.

So, when a bump happens, tell yourself "That was just a bump." and move on.

It takes serious force to cause a concussion.

A cervical concussion is a strain to the joints between the cervical vertebra (C-1, C-2, C-3) and between C-1 and the skull (occiput / occipital joint) This is often called whiplash, especially when it involves the lower cervical joints. It strains muscles, tendons, and ligaments. That inflammation can disrupt blood flow and cause other symptoms.

Hi. I'm getting increasingly concerned and desperate here. It has been almost 2 weeks now since I bumped my shoulder and I am still experiencing very bad symptoms. The most pressing is a strange dizziness around me (not extreme dizziness like i am about to fall or the room is spinning but much more subtle and annoying). I am also having headaches, problems with concentrating, and blurry vision at long distances.
My neck feels ok, if a bit tight but I am having a lot of back pain (mid-back mainly). I am not sure if the back pain is related to bumping my shoulder.

I first had a concussion 5 years ago and dealt with PCS for a long time after it but for the past 2 years my symptoms have been much more under control/almost nonexistent.
Since hitting my shoulder, my symptoms are almost as bad as they were when I first had my concussion 5 years ago. This is incredibly distressing and worrying.

What do you think this is? Is this a new concussion from bumping my shoulder? Could these symptoms just be due to stress/worrying about the bump?-- I really do not think so because they are so bad and present with everything I do.

What should I do? How can I treat this? I am very very worried that this will last for a long time.

Have you tried PT or a good chiropractor?
Self treat the sore shoulder, neck and back..
Heat, cold, massage, gentle stretches and posture care.
Also check out. Up C Spine
Explore ..Upper cervical c1 c2 misalignments...

Do you think this could have caused a neck injury? Just from bumping my shoulder?

I don't really have much neck pain. The most pressing symptom I am currently experiencing is this subtle, lingering dizziness. It is not extreme like I am about to fall over or feel like the world is pinning but it is a more general wooziness and uncomfortable feeling surrounding me. What could this be caused by? And how can I stop it?