[taylor808]

Hey guys, new to the forum over here after looking over tons of posts for months. I was wondering if I could get feedback from my condition and where I should go from here. In August I was drinking with some friends and while waiting for them outside of the bar I was unfortunately randomly assaulted in which I was thrown to the ground and from the force the back of my head hit the concrete. I didn't black out or anything and knew where I was and what had happened right after.

That night I went to the ER, where he checked my head and concluded that it was just a possible mild concussion and no tests were run. A couple of days later I saw my primary care physician and said I had a mild concussion and cleared me to start returning to activities including work and lifting weights. Since then I've been struggling with several symptoms including light/sound sensitivity, mild tinnitus, insomnia where i sometimes constantly wake up in the night, fall asleep and wake up again, when i exercise or at work I'm a lot more exhausted when I exhert myself.

I've been taking fish oil omega 3-6-9, gnc mega men sport, 250 mg magnesium, 20 mg lutein for my eyes, melatonin 3 mg for sleep. I've constantly visited my doctor where he says the same thing of return to activities and stop if symptoms come back and that symptoms should subside in a month, but it's still the same. I know I shouldn't drink but I tried a couple days ago and I didn't get any headaches but the area where I was hit I felt a light pressure. I'd be so grateful for any kind of feedback please.

[Mark in Idaho]

Taylor808,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

My first observation is to stop wasting time with your doctor. As usual, he is not much help. Few ever are.

The most important issue right now is getting good sleep. The waking up could indicate that you are not breathing properly. Upper neck inflammation can cause this as it can cause other sleep issues. Try sleeping with your head and neck straight. If you sleep on your back, sleep with a thin pillow that is bunched at the sides so you head does not roll/tip to the side.

Lifting weights tends to cause neck muscle tightening. Pay attention to not tighten your neck muscles or stop lifting for a while.

Do not test the impact spot. There is no purpose to that. It will likely be tender for many more months. The nerves in the skin on the skull take a long time to heal. They have no bearing on your concussion.

Take the magnesium at the end of the day. Personally, I would not take the melatonin. Many people roller coaster through sleep with it. Some take an extended release form to get lasting benefit.

Instead, reduce your activity and stimulation level a few hours before bed so your sleep system starts to kick in. Find low stimulation distractions to help your brain let go. If you think about the next day's activities at the end of the day, write down any tasks so you can avoid thinking about the next day.

You will likely benefit from some upper neck therapy. When you hit the concrete, the skull stopped moving but your neck/cervical vertebra tried to keep moving toward the ground. This strained the joints between C-2 and C-1 and between C-1 and your skull. It takes months for the ligaments to heal properly. Upper cervical PT or chiropractic therapy can help. Some osteopaths can help.

Stay away from getting buzzed. There is too much risk. The experts suggest a single serving is OK.

[taylor808]

Thanks Mark for the feedback, I did see a chiropractor for a bit where he cracked my neck and upper back area but I've read in a couple of posts on here that this can be detrimental to my recovery. When I did fall, I didn't fall head first into the concrete as my elbows stopped the impact a bit but my head did still hit the concrete. I usually sleep to on my side with two pillows propping my head. I did have a couple of setbacks throughout the months. In September, I stupidly went to the beach where the shore break was big and I was tossed around in waves but didn't hit my head in coral or sand and also in early November I was working at my restaurant job where I was hit in the same area of my head with a food tray, but I think the anxiety of it made it worse. A couple days after my light and sound sensitivity got worse where I got disoriented in grocery stores with fluorescent lights. It's gotten a little better now. I know you are probably asked this question a lot but when can I start going back to normal activities like working out and going out for a drink with friends? When all of my light, sound, and tinnitus are fully gone?

[Mark in Idaho]

Nobody can give you a timeline, especially for going out with friends, which usually means noise with the alcohol.

The chiro probably used the twist the head and pop the neck adjustment. This does not help with C-2 and above. It can strain them.

You mention anxiety. It appears many who 'need to' or 'rely on' going out for a drink use that alcohol to depress their anxiety levels. It is important to learn skills to reduce anxiety levels without alcohol. Concussion researchers have found that people with anxiety tendencies have the most trouble recovering from concussions. They can almost predict long recoveries based on preconcussion anxiety.

Grocery stores, especially when busy and noisy can be a struggle. The risk of over-stimulation is high. Most are not impact by fluorescent lights as much as they are from all of the other stimulation.

For the near term, it sounds like you need to slow down your life. Just because the rest of your body works does not mean you are ready to get back into it. Brain injuries take time and patience to recover. You need to figure out what your brain and body needs. This will be your task. The pros can only help you sort things out. The only think your doc said that matters was "stop if symptoms come back." Symptoms can return the day after overdoing it. Pay attention so you can try to sort it out.