Hi,

I was concussed from heading a ball on the 10th of Septmeber. It was a high one but still, it was just a header! For some reason I got pcs after this really mild concussion and I'm still having it and it will take a while until I will recover. I was just wondering if I can play sports like I did ever again. Soccer especially if my brain is so sensitive. I don't get it.

HI! I used to play a sh** ton of sport!!!!! football (australian rules football), soccer, tennis, b ball, swimming, running. I didnt have any major concussions during my time playing sport. I was however assulted 5 months ago, and was concussed. I have had PCS symptoms for just over 4 months. My minor sports injurys may have contributed to the reason for my prologned PCS. I have shown a heap of improvement over the past few weeks!!! If everything keeps going the way it is i feel like I could be symptom freee in a couple of months. But I am going to stay away from sports where there is a chance of hitting my head for at least half a year, and from then on just be careful I dont knock my head!!!!!

how are your symptoms today!?

Lui,

You should not play soccer anymore unless you can be disciplined to not head the ball. Heading the soccer ball has been know to cause brain injury since research done in the 1970's. And, stay out of the goalie box during corner kicks. The risks during a corner kick are high.

I had to give up soccer so I started training as a distance runner and did quite well. The endurance conditioning from soccer practice enabled me to quickly become a champion distance runner.

Besides, girls soccer during the late teen years can get quite violent. My niece was on the Olympic development squad and quit to avoid the injuries caused by the violent play.

Lui,

You have plenty to look forward to without putting your brain at risk again.

My best to you.

Yes, that is what i was thinking...
To your question Peter, I have constant symptoms which are not getting better altough I rest a lot but I have to say that I started playing Baketball in late october with symptoms. I quit after 2-3 weeks because the risk was to high to get concussed another time...since then I have seen no improvment

Lui,

Your continued efforts to be fully involved with your school activities is delaying your recovery. Just avoiding the risky activities is not enough. Maybe you can get the quiet rest when you get back home.

Alright,
I quit like eveything involved with school. I just dropped out of jazz band. But what am I supposed to do? Sleeping a lot or anything?
I will get home in seven months so there is much time until then. I thought about it but I really don't want to break up...

Hi Lui,

If you take this a restful week at a time, you have a great chance of a full recovery. You need a quiet, dark space, as you no doubt have been told by doctors. One week of this total rest for your brain can do wonders for recovery. My nephew recovered completely from a serious concussion and PCS from American football through 1 week of rest in a quiet, dark space. He was bored silly, but he did recover. He then took it easy for a few weeks. He didn't exercise for almost 2 months, but was symptom free when he started on easy stationary bike riding.

So no computer, tv and stuff like this like really in the first week after concussion?

I really wish I had taken complete rest after my concussion. Unfortunately the first clinic I went to said I could go backpacking, watch tv, etc., so I did not pace myself well. The next doctor wanted me to do things in 30 minute chunks and take 30 minutes of quiet rest. I didn't completely follow that either.

I don't think I'll ever return to full contact rugby, but plan on playing touch as soon as I'm back to my normal exercise routine. It probably won't be for another month or two.

Lui,

I did not start to see much recovery until I dropped out of everything I could, and just rested. I get the idea from your posts that whenever you think about having to give something up you think you shouldn't have to because it isn't fair. It sounded like you thought this about giving up basketball, and now it sounds like you are thinking this about other activities.

I understand this, and I felt the same way. But one of the most important lessons to learn in recovery from PCS is that what is happening in your brain has nothing to do with what is 'fair'. If your brain needs you to rest, and just sit around being very bored all the time, then this is what you need to do.

It is boring, and it is not fair that you should have to be so bored. But your recovery has nothing to do with what is fair, it's just about you, your brain and the healing process.

I dropped out of almost everything, and it wasn't fair that I had to do this, but I needed it to recover. Even though I have now recovered, I will never again drink alcohol (which is a big part of social life in England) and I will never again play soccer, which was one of my favourite things to do. It is not 'fair' that I have to give up these things, it is simply a biological fact that I have to give them up if I want to stay healthy.

Most people don't rest properly at the beginning, because we don't know what is happening. But most people still recover. I did a lot of things that I shouldn't have done soon after my injury, and I have still recovered. So in my experience, you should not be anxious about this