I’ve posted here before about how I have horrible head sensitivity after suffering a concussion about 1.5 years ago. Getting haircuts was something I started getting extreme anxiety about. I would try to tell my barber to be gentle with my head but they never really listened and would still be rough and aggressive with my head as they cut it, which caused a lot of symptoms and setbacks every time. Very frustrating how difficult it can be to get others to understand what I’m going through. Anyway, because of this issue I started cutting my own hair for a few months and didn’t suffer any setbacks. However yesterday I was feeling brave and decided to try facing my fear by going for a professional haircut again. Went to this new place I’ve never been to and of course, the person who ends up cutting my hair is a young girl who apparently is training and giving her first haircut and using my head as practice (I didn’t realize this until half way in). I explicitly told her to please be gentle but I don’t think it would’ve been possible for her to be any more aggressive than she was, between pressing the razor really hard against my skull and moving it up and down really fast on my head and tugging my hair. At one point, the razor hit into the bony bump at the base of my skull behind my head, which instantly made me anxious. Mind you the haircut came out horrible...it’s like a joke how bad it looks. I basically paid for her to mess my head up and waste an hour of my time. I felt like complete crap after and just wanted to get the hell out of there instead of complaining.

You might be reading this thinking I’m crazy or have terrible anxiety...but the symptoms are real and I can’t help but think if this horrible experience could have caused more damage or another concussion.

Is it possible to get a concussion without the head actually moving, like my situation where the razor bumped into the bone in the back of my head? I’ve had many setbacks over the past 1.5 years which have eventually gotten better, but this is by far the worst haircut experience I’ve ever had and I don’t know how to cope with all this anxiety. I honestly just need to be reassured that it’s just anxiety and I will get back to baseline in a couple days.

Keep cutting your own hair, save time & money and stress for you..it's not rocket science anyway..
If you do go for hair cuts, tell them when you first go there..you have a head injury so you need a very soft touch.. and leave if it gets worrisome and tell manager why & don't pay for that same reason.

But sounds like no injury happened, just anxiety.. it can mimic & create symptoms.

Thanks for replying. I would cut my own hair but it gets tricky to do the back without having someone do it for you and I still want to look decent, but I know its really not that important...I just want the pain to go away and I'll be happy.

For the 2 days since the incident, I've had increased head pressure, dizziness, headaches, vision problems (all the same symptoms I've had for a long time now, just much more exacerbated). Last week, my symptoms were stable and I was doing much better. I feel deep down it must be an anxiety reaction and I'm praying things will go back to the way they were soon. The part that scares me is my concussion 1.5 years ago, I hit the same part of the back of my head doing sit-ups on a carpeted floor and went through hell from that. I keep thinking - if that caused a concussion, how do I know every little bump on the head, like this, won't cause one too? Am I that much more susceptible to these symptoms?

I try to be so extra careful with every little thing I do, and there's only so much one do to prevent these bumps from happening. One of the most frustrating things about concussions is that you can't visibly see them, and you really never know what is going on inside your head. And its so difficult to explain to my family and friends how a haircut caused all this...

Your anxiety from prior events has caused you to memorize your prior concussion symptoms. When you got the haircut, the anxiety caused your brain to call up those memories as if they were real for that moment in time.
Think of those events as flashbacks.

YOU DID NOT SUFFER ANY IMPACTS.

Just an anxiety response.

Think of how your whole body responds when you see somebody impact their head on TV or in a movie. It is fake but your brain plays the whole list of reactions and momentary symptoms.

Guys also experience spasming sensations when they see another guy get hit in the groin.

Flash back with a well memorized set of responses.

Thanks for the reply Mark. I agree that it being an anxiety reaction makes sense. However, this is still an issue that I need to learn how to treat as it is causing me physical pain. What recommendations do you have for treating this type of anxiety response so I can avoid situations like this in the future?

I currently take 30mg Amitryptaline, which may help headaches a bit. I also take fish oil, vitamin D, magnesium, and B2 daily. I've seen many doctors (neurologist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, headache/concussion specialist, PT) and tried many different types of treatment over the past 2 years, and the symptoms, including extreme head sensitivity and anxiety, don't seem to be going away. I'm wondering if I should try switching to a new prescription med for the anxiety to see if that helps all my other symptoms simmer down, but I don't want to erase any of the benefits I'm getting from Amitryptaline. I've been recommended to try Cymbalta.

I will say it has been helpful to have the support of this group to share my experience and read about others going through similar difficulties, so thank you.

To start you have to try desensitize.....Go to the haircut place, dont get it cut?....Will that start your problems?...Take any act or job and take it in bites, see how you do......You need to start over, life is now different, what you did before, you may never be able to do again.....I know this as still after over 12 years, I still have many problems, and never put my self in a situation that would trigger any of my goofy problems.

Take baby steps, take care of yourself!....Only you know what bothers you, and yes sometimes its found out after you have done too much.

I wish the best for you and hope you can start to figure out the triggers in your life...