Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post concussion syndrome (PCS).


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Old 09-10-2020, 10:23 AM #1
Gears Gears is offline
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Default New to NT, Hello and Intro

Hello, my name is Phil. I know my story is not unique here, but wanted to introduce myself and maybe get some thoughts from the group. I am very new to concussion recovery and spent some time reading and searching on the site. The information on NT has been helpful to me.

I am 50 and hit my head standing up on a countertop 2 weeks ago. I have clocked my head before with no obvious issues, but I guess this time it was different as the doc felt I had a concussion. The standard CT and neck X-ray were all ‘normal’.

It started mostly with head pressure.

A couple days into it I started to get weird nausea/stomach unsettled feelings.

A woozy or heavy feeling in my head also showed up.

Newest fun thing is a wired nerves, tingling arms, fast heart rate at night which equates to no sleep. Involuntary limb or torso spasms came with this too.

These all come and go seemingly at random times.

It took me 4 days of not really slowing down and the resulting anxiety attack, what have I done moments to get the hint I need to full stop and scale back on all activities considerably.


I wanted to get a sense of others experiences when it comes to an up and down recovery. Meaning one day you feel like it’s all gone, the next not so much. Or several good nights and then a night of zero sleep.

I am guessing my age is not going to do me any favors on recovery and it will be a long haul.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.

Phil
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Old 09-10-2020, 10:49 AM #2
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Welcome Gears. Someone will be along.

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Old 09-10-2020, 11:15 AM #3
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What did you hit your head on ? Cabinets or the ceiling?
Going upwards you would have jammed downward on your neck I'm guessing..

I would suggest getting some good PT for your neck/soft tissue and/ or expert chiropractic esp if they do muscle work also.. trigger point too..
I think doctors do not consider soft tissue /neck factors on some head hits..
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Old 09-10-2020, 03:59 PM #4
Mark in Idaho Mark in Idaho is offline
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Gears, Welcome to NT.

Your delayed symptoms are delayed longer than concussion symptoms usually are. The doctor's diagnosis is meaningless. They do not have any tests for concussion other than the subjective complaints of the patient unless the concussion is severe and causes objective symptoms in a neurological exam.

I agree with Jo*mar. You likely jammed your upper neck and have upper neck inflammation. Such an injury will not show up on imaging.

Gentle therapy by an upper cervical specialist would be worthwhile. Gentle traction and range limited movement/manipulation is helpful for many.
DO NOT DO RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES. They will likely trigger more inflammation. Icing your upper neck and being disciplined to maintain good head and neck posture when resting or sleeping is very important.

Your symptoms suggest upper cervical inflammation that impacts blood flow to the brain stem where heart rate and body sensations are processed.
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Old 09-10-2020, 08:35 PM #5
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Mark, Jo*mar:

Thank you both for the fast responses and great advice. I can definitely see this compressing the neck now that I think about it.

I was on the floor on my knees and was standing up, hit the area between forehead and top on the rounded edge of quartz vanity countertop. It would have pressed right down my neck. I don’t think it was more than 10” travel before I hit.

I’ll search for a practitioner with upper cervical knowledge and have the ice bag going as I type! I had not even considered neck posture at rest, will work on that as well.


Phil
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Old 09-12-2020, 08:24 PM #6
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Phil, Another NTer just showed me this link.

Atlas joint instability: Causes, consequences and solutions - MSK Neurology

"Thick ligaments hold these joints in place, but patients with atlas misalignment often have ligament laxity after e.g whiplash injuries and/or years of improper cervical posture and movement patterns. Most of the time, despite some level of ligamentous laxity, great and lasting results can be achieved by re-establishing proper postural and cervical movement habits, as well as significantly strengthening the muscles that stabilize and syncronize the movements of the atlas joints. The key lies in changing the patient’s habits"
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Old 09-14-2020, 10:01 PM #7
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Mark

This is great information and I think right in line with what is happening.

I was able to connect with a trusted practitioner our family has used for years. After taking time to discuss what happened and perform an evaluation his conclusion was a neck injury in the C0-C1 area.

He looked at my xrays, watched me walk/sit and it is pretty obvious I am hunching from years of IT desk work and bad habits. He referred to it as ‘upper crossed syndrome’. So much for thinking I was healthy lol.

The plan is exactly as noted in your post. Small, consistent exercises for sitting, walking, standing are the path forward to re establish habits. A big part of it is ‘spinal flossing’ and working deep neck flexors as well.

No quick fixes, but definitely doable over time.

Thanks again for your assistance, it has been most helpful to me,

Phil
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