Hello. I recently had a minor concussion after falling off a snowboard. Didn't go unconscious and had no LOC changes or nausea/vommitting. Just varying degrees of headaches. It is now 1 week post concussion.

My 2 questions:

1) Is it possible to heal 100% from a minor concussion? I read on another thread on here that there is *always* some residual that is left unhealed. Is this true?

2) does nicotine impair healing? I am
An ex smoker and chew 2 pieces of a 4mg nicotine gum at a time currently.

Thanks!

John,

I read you other posts. I don't think your question has an answer that applies to you. You have other issues to consider. I was just telling another poster that getting drunk can affect the brain in ways similar to a concussion. You brain has been compromised and the recent concussion has just added to that condition.

At 1 week post concussion, you can very likely experience a spontaneous recovery.

Nicotine has it's challenges to the brain but I doubt it has much for you to be worried about.

I would suggest you get on the brain health vitamin and supplements regimen posted in the stickies above. Check out post 101 on Nov 8. It has the updated information.

My best to you.

I appreciate your answer Mark. But I do wish you hadn't read my other posts prior to this one as they seem to have directly impacted your answer. Referring to my other posts, that period of my life is over thank god (although some of the residual effects still stand regarding nerve sensitivity), and I have been essentially sober and living a clean life (diet, exercise, etc etc) since then. Where I am now and where I was then is like night and day.

Really, Im looking for an answer one would give to people in general if no prior history was brought into play.

I would just like to know if minor concussions can heal 100% and if nicotine effects healing. Thats all.

Research shows that every concussion has lasting issues. Most of those lasting issues are not manifest except in stressful situations. Sobriety aside, you did damage to your brain . The research on that is solid, too.

The simplest issue is that after a single concussion, subsequent concussions can be suffered from less force and have longer or more serious symptoms. The concussed person may no longer exhibit any symptoms from the first concussion but will still have the residual brain weakness to further trauma. Also, that person will be more prone to a relapse of symptoms when under stress. That stress can be emotional, physical and metabolic/chemical. For example, people who have suffered a concussion have a statistically consistent intolerance for higher altitudes.

Keep in mind that the brain is a three pound mass of nerve tissue. Peripheral nerves have healing capabilities that the brain does not have.

At only one week, it is hardly worth asking but, What symptoms are you having that having you concerned ?

Thanks for your reply Marc.

Well here's the story. After my snowboarding fall, like I mentioned above, I didnt go unconscious at all. I had no dizziness, no nausea, no vomiting, no bright lights. I just felt a little hazy and had a minor headache. I also whipped my neck back pretty hard so the headache could've been from that.

4 hours later I decided to go to the ER just to be 100% sure there wasnt any unnoticed cranial bleeding. The PA there did a neuro check on me and determined I had no neuro symptoms at all. So to be on the safe side she ruled it a minor concussion w/o LOC/neuro changes. She said it was even possible I didnt have a concussion but it was also possible that I did.

So at this point, I honestly can't tell if the symptoms are psychosomatic or not. I guess I kinda feel just a little under 100%, maybe just a tad hazy. But who's to say, if I wasn't concerned I actually had a concussion, would these symptoms still be there or not? Is my mind creating them, connecting the dots? Headaches come and go but seem to usually be associated with neck pain but sometimes not.

So that is how it stands presently. Possibly some minor symptoms which could very well be created out of paranoia of the mind. But nonetheless I wanted to play things on the safe side.

I find it unfortunate to think that just a minor concussion could permanently change someone in the sense they will always be more sensitive and more prone to stress. I would like to think the body is AT LEAST capable of healing 100% from a minor concussion.

Also, I am still wondering if nicotene would impair healing?

Thanks again!

Nicotine could be included with the 'best not to' list of thinks like alcohol, caffeine, MSG and artificial sweeteners. It constricts the small blood vessels which are often most needed by the struggling brain.

I'm confused. If you are exhibiting no concussion symptoms other than occasional head aches, why are you concerned about healing 100% ? Is it just an anxiety issue ?

The brain is the only tissue that does not go through a continuous regeneration. Skin, muscle and bone cells are constantly dying and being replaced. Brain cells are basically lifetime cells. There are possibly some new cells growing slowly over time but this is a slow and minimal process. The challenge to neurogenesis or neuroregenesis is the fact that brain cells are a memory storage system. They store information and processes. Some of those processes are learned over long time spans.

Brain development basically take about 20 years to mature. We'd need to be constantly relearning information if brain cells were regularly dying and being replaced.

I still think you should consider the vitamins and supplements regimen. It will be good for you, especially considering your history and current anxiety. It helps the brain tolerate stress and operate more efficiently.