Dear all,

I am so glad I found this community.

I was concussed 1 week ago by hitting the back of my head on the car door frame whilst getting in. I felt slightly dazed thereafter but there was no loss of consciousness.

The next day I started getting a strange constant headache on the left side of my head. The pain is moderate on the back part of my left side of my head, and there is a mild spreading of the pain to the back of my left eyeball (which has also become more teary). There is also mild pain on my left side of the back of my neck and upper left shoulder. I also notice a very very mild pain that has radiated to the back of my left arm, my left back and even the back of my left leg. The pain was at its peak 3-5 days after the concussion and has not been getting worse thereafter.

I am very confused as to why everything is happening on the left side of my body (and on the back of everything). I have been reading the previous posts but it seems that nobody else has this strange kind of pain. The pain is mild to moderate depending on the part of the body (not sharp or severe) and is a constant ache. The funniest thing is that the pain is just on my left side of my body. Also strange is the fact that the pain only started on the next day.

As a college student with exams coming up soon, I have to continue studying very hard because I need to score good grades to maintain my scholarship and education. However, I am experiencing some brain fog where I find it hard to remember things that used to be easy to remember.

Has anyone ever heard of similar symptoms happening? Is it possible that the strange pain is actually cervicogenic (caused by a neck injury) rather than a TBI? From previous experience, when do you think I will fully recover?

Thank you so much for your kind help and assistance. I really appreciate your thoughts.


Charlie

No two concussions are the same.

Id recommend going to your schools clinic and see what they have to say and possibly get an academic note.

Also, no two recoveries are the same. I understand you need to study, but make sure you seek plenty of quiet, dark areas to get some rest.

Charlie,

You are correct in considering an neck injury. They are common with head injuries.

There is no way to prognose a timeline for recovery. Your intensity of study works against recovery.

i heard of similar symptoms from someone who got hit in the head with a kiteboard--didn't seem to be a concussion but rather some nerve damage or something. don't know much more than that. good luck!

Thanks for the advice.

Also forgot to mention that there is some nausea. Aside from the ache, my neck doesn't feel worse when I press it or move my head around. Does this rule out the cause being a neck injury? If not, how is the recovery procedure of a neck injury different to that of a TBI?

If anyone here knows of similar strange symptoms, I would really appreciate hearing from them.

Thank you for your help!

Charlie

If you hit the head any any sort of an angle , and sometimes angle doesn't matter...
Have you ever read about upper cervical adjustments , atlas/axis, c1 c2 adjustment?

You may have misaligned those top vertebra during the bump..
It can cause many odd symptoms as well as the body changing over time to re-balance the weight of the head..

more info here-
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post735715-11.html

Subtle neck inflammation can interrupt proper blood flow and nerve conduction. It does not need to be a symptomatic neck injury causing stiffness or pain.

The treatment is good neck posture, especially during resting or sleep.

Thank you for the advice. I will try to keep my posture straight when sitting.

I read a paper that said that exercise can help PCS recovery. When do you think I should start exercising? 3 weeks after the concussion?

Unfortunately, when I am not studying, I have a part time job that I must continue in order to support myself and my family. This means that spending the day in a dark room is not really an option for me. Is there anything I can do whilst working/studying that will help recovery (e.g. take more breaks in between or wear sunglasses)?

Thank you for your help!

Charlie

It is your neck posture that is important, especially when relaxed.

If you worked in construction on your feet all day, would you expect to continue working if you broke your leg ?

Your brain needs time to heal.

Regarding exercise helping recovery. The value of exercise is supporting good blood flow to the brain. If the exercise causes any symptoms, it is too much effort. There are ways to stimulate moderated blood flow without risking a serious increase in symptoms.

My brain is too tired to go on and explain this further.

At this point in time, you should just take it slow and easy to let your brain recover. YOU ARE EXTREMELY EARLY IN YOUR RECOVERY.

When you are still struggling 6 weeks after your injury, you can start to consider your symptoms prolonged and due a diagnosis of PCS.

Ok sounds good. I will wait and see how things go. Thanks for the advice!

The biggest risk for me is probably if I were to suffer another concussion during the recovery period.

Do you have any advice on supplements, diets and/or lifestyle changes for neuroprotection and prevention of future concussions?

I used to eat lots of junk food but from now on I am going to eat more healthily after this concussion.

Thank you for your help!

Charlie