I feel stupid even asking this question but I can't help but stress over it.

My mom just told me some really bad news and I started crying. I was trying to suppress it at first but wasn't really successfull. Instead, I just started sobbing and jerking my head backwards with every sob. I could feel that it was hard on my neck but as you all probably know once you start crying it's hard to stop. So I continued sobbing and jerking my head every few seconds for at least a few minutes until I calmed down a little bit.

As you can probably guess, I am now really dizzy, have brain fog and a mild headache. I am wondering if I caused damage to my brain jerking my head like that or if it is just my neck.

I am so sick of worrying about things like that but I just can't help it. It really frustrates me since I would have never thought about it before my injury.

Hi Lifesucks,

You absolutely did not damage your brain during your crying/head jerking spell. It would take some seriously violent head jerking to harm your brain. Thinking of what MarkInIdaho has said before, the kind of head jerking that might cause brain injury would be like the "head banging" you see at a rock/metal concert, but for an extended period of time. That level of head jerking would also give you whiplash.

Do you experience neck pain regularly? You may certainly have something going on in your neck. Have you had your neck and shoulders checked out by a professional before?
And it should also be noted that any deeply emotional experience can be a bit of a shock to your nervous system…
For a long time I would feel the same things you're reporting— increased dizziness and other symptoms immediately after crying fits or angry outbursts. It could be something to do with a spike in blood pressure or just that your brain was more stimulated by the emotions.

Hope you're feeling a little better. The ever present anxiety is surely one of the worst demons that come with an injured brain, but by coming here to ask for additional perspective shows great initiative. Do you have any tools/routines you turn to when these anxious periods arise?

Most likely dehydrated...and just irritated your neck muscles..

Well, If that happens to me....I get all the above, brutal headache that last for days....and extremely exhosted feeling...

I have been told that emotions make your brain give off chemicals that can make you feel lots of different things....I guess knowing for me has helpped me following a bad outburst(sadness, anger, crying,pain,ect)

what you're saying makes sense thank you so much. I am so glad that I have found this website with so many helpful people

Yes I do experience neck pain regularly and have also had it checked out by a professional. However, he didn't find anything and just told me to put some ice on it and wait it out. I've also been to a chiropractor but he hasn't helped me either. I'm at a loss what to do... Even though my symptoms are not bad they are still bad enough to bug the hell out of me. Driving on rough roads is terrible and even long walks bother me sometimes.

Anxiety is the worst. Many people can probably relate to the ever present fear of re-injuring themselves. I don't really have any routines for calming me down after an anxiety attack other than desperately trying to find a thread on here related to my latest bump or jolt. If you or anyone else has discovered a good technique I'd really appreciate it

Crying will affect your oxygen levels..and that can aggravate overall.
You tense up, gasp, take shallow breaths, it all adds up.

Drink fluids and try to relax, learn & practice some mindful relaxation techniques..
https://www.google.com/search?q=mind...es.&gws_rd=ssl

Drs may not "find" soft tissue issues, but they can still be there...
PTs usually will do a more thorough hands on exam.. soft issue issues can be treated by PT or even self care if you learn how to , from you tube or online information.
Some might do better with heat , or alternate heat /ice..

Jo*mar makes some great suggestions here. In dealing with my frequent panic attacks, I took a definite Buddhist approach, which included breathing exercises, mantras, tai chi, and some sessions just laying still listening to very gentle trance music… the kind of stuff you might hear in a massage therapist's work space. But there are many ways to work with anxiety and panic for sure, nothing I've found makes it go away, but certain techniques made it just a little less grating to get through each episode.