[squash291]

I have posted on this forum a few times before about the prospect of repeat concussions from minor head impacts. While I was told they were likely due to anxiety, given my limited concussion history in the past and the small force behind each hit my head has taken since, I’m having a more difficult time feeling like these little impacts or bumps are not causing new concussions or serious relapses of an old head injury I may not have recovered from.

To start, I’ve had two diagnosed concussions. The first concussion was a skateboarding accident: I hit my head on asphalt, did not lose consciousness, but lost control of my body for a short period of time and screamed “help” at the top of my lungs, so that someone would notice and come take care of me. I did not have any lasting symptoms – I believe I returned to school once the weekend was over and continued my education as normal – I was in 7th grade when I sustained this concussion.

My second concussion occurred when I was a senior in high school. My friend and I were driving, hit an icy patch on the road, and the car flipped multiple times. I walked away from this accident with nothing but a concussion, however I lost consciousness for around 15-20 minutes, or however long it took the EMTs to arrive to the site of the accident. I had no symptoms whatsoever after this accident - I went to a family friend's house a few hours later and was perfectly fine. However I did develop severe anxiety about hitting my head again after my mom (who suffered from permanent brain damage due to head injuries and strokes) told me she hopes I don’t have to experience the same problems she deals with on a regular basis.

While I never experienced prolonged symptoms from either concussion, I do worry that I’ve developed a pretty extreme sensitivity to impacts that has made me more susceptible to concussions from small hits or bumps.
I know I posted recently about a head bump from my girlfriend that didn’t cause any immediate symptoms, but that I “knew” would lead to tension headaches later in the evening and the following morning. The symptoms from that mild impact have gone away, and may very well have been caused by the serious anxiety I have, like many on this forum have suggested.

However, I recently hit the ground a little hard on my heels (there was potentially 1-2 inches between my heels and the ground). After my heels hit the ground, I felt my brain shake and experienced an onset of anxiety and tension headaches that lasted throughout the rest of the evening. I’m no longer experiencing the same level of anxiety, but have had headaches on and off since last Wednesday, and have felt myself become very sensitive to movement – i.e. sometimes my head feels very sensitive to the impacts our bodies experience while walking, and I do feel much more aware of side-to-side head movement (although this does not produce symptoms).
Interestingly, though, two weeks before this impact, I was crying, let my head fall and accidentally hit it on the top of a wooden shelf. I experienced a little bit of head pain right away, but felt no prolonged symptoms other than the shock of the initial impact.

I know that no one on this forum has the ability to provide a definitive answer, but I am wondering whether or not these mild bumps or jolts are likely causing concussions. If so, the number of symptom causing mild bumps I’ve had over just the last four years since my major head impact in high school would probably mean that I’ve had between 10 and 12 concussions in total, throughout my life. People on this forum have lots of experience, and provide incredibly thoughtful answers to everyone’s questions. I’d greatly appreciate any advice, insight and recommendations as to whether or not these bumps and impacts likely constitute concussions, and how I might adjust my lifestyle to minimize the long-term effect these will have on me, and maintain the high level of function I hope to have throughout my working and personal lives.

I apologize for this post’s lengthiness, and thank you in advance for any advice.

[Mark in Idaho]

If you did not experience a feeling of "Wow, I just banged my head." they are likely just sub-concussive impacts. But 10 or 20 subconcussive impacts is nothing is the scheme of sub-concussive impacts. SCI's are counted in the hundreds and thousands.

It sounds to me like you are still experiencing anxiety head aches and related symptoms. A 1-2 inch heal drop is no different than taking a step as you walk. Each foot plant likely has as much G force as that 1-2 inch heal drop.

So, stop projecting your mother's medical history onto yourself and you should do much better.

[squash291]

Mark,

Thank you very much for the response and the reassurance. I haven't had a "Wow I've banged my head" feeling recently - the impacts have all been light to extremely mild, and what most would consider everyday bumps that only deserve little, if any, attention. I know my mother's history affects me and my anxiety about head injuries significantly. However, I did want to ask and make sure that anxiety or subconcussive impacts, rather than repeat concussions, constitute the cause of my symptoms. I have worked on my anxiety and understanding where these occasional symptoms come from when my head takes light impacts, but it's a continuous effort and one I will continue making.

Thank you again for the response - I've learned a lot from your answers to my own posts/questions, and those of others on this forum.

[Galaxy1012]

Does anybody know yet what this brain sensitivity actually means ? What does this symptom indicate ?