Hello,

I suffered two concussions last year - one in October and one in December. I have had post concussion syndrome for about 6 months now following the second one. The first one I fell while rock climbing in a gym and received a whiplash injury as well. I recovered in about 5 days, got a CT scan done (no abnormalities), took a month off, and was okay. It took about 6 weeks for my neck to stop crunching, and then 7 weeks from the first one, I received a second concussion while trying to pull something out of a drawer and slammed the top of my head into a desk.

I suffered from headaches, numbness in my hands, temperature regulation issues, no appetite for 5 days, dizziness, scalp pain/burning, and eye pain. Lately I only suffer from scalp pain, eye pain, and dizziness, but they are greatly improved.

I saw a DO who prescribed vestibular PT which I have been doing with success since February. I have also cut alcohol, continue my paleo diet, take vitamins with fish oil, collagen, MCT oil, and limit myself to one cup of coffee a day. I have been trying to ride a stationary bike and walk, though not as much as I should. I tired acupuncture with mixed results, and have had success with Rolfing, but due to COVID, I haven’t been going to either since March.

In March my dog yanked hard while walking trying to chase a squirrel. He’s about 40 pounds to my 120. I walk him on a retractable leash, so he’s unfortunately been able to get some build up. The first time I was not prepared and felt my body do a whipping motion; however, I only suffered neck pain and extra dizziness from that. It does seem that I had a pretty significant setback from it though.

Tuesday he pulled again, but I saw it out of the corner of my eye and braced my body. I could feel some pain in my arm that night and in my neck, but now a few days later I have a weird warm sensation all over my scalp, almost like a fever. I am panicking and feel like I got another concussion and am devastated.

I recently lost my job partly due to my concussions and felt like I was finally making some progress only to feel like I have been setback.

Do you think I got another one or do you think it could just be whiplash/anxiety? It’s just weird that these symptoms didn’t happen the first time. I would’ve thought tensing and bracing myself would’ve done less damage to my head but I really don’t know at this point.

I think your whiplash injury got flared up..
Train the dog better, and be aware of him before he runs & yanks.. then yank him back first and make him listen to you...
Don't brace or get rigid, allow your body to absorb the motion... but best to train & be aware so it doesn't happen at all.

Treat your neck injury. It may not have direct symptoms but the upper neck inflammation can cause ALL of your symptoms. C-1 and C-2 are very unstable joints and can take months of rehabilitation to become stable enough to tolerate normal jerks like a dog pulling on a leash.

One concussion clinic has found 80% of concussion symptoms are caused by the upper neck.

Thank you both for your responses. I am feeling a lot better today after icing, Tylenol, lots of sleep, and using some topical relief as well as an acupressure mat.

Jo*mar you’re right that I need to work with my dog. In the mean time I have a waist leash with a bungee type connection that should also help break some of the momentum between us.

Mark in Idaho I believe my neck is colossally messed up. I have been trying to figure out my next steps whether I should see a neuro for my scalp and eye pain, or an orthopedic doc for my neck. I think I am going to go the ortho route after this most recent situation.

An ortho will not help your neck. A physical therapist who uses gentle techniques to rehabilitate whiplash would be worthwhile.

The most important part of neck healing is reducing stressing your neck. Practice straight head and neck posture, especially when sleeping. Minimal head forward pillow position.

Your scalp does not need care. Scalp injuries have surface nerves that heal very slowly. Often, the scalp sensitivity can take many months to get better. Scalp pain HAS NO relation to concussion recovery.

A vestibular assessment can help some. An assessment by a Behavioral Optometrist (not covered by insurance) helps many.

DO NOT SLEEP DURING THE DAY. Sleep only during normal sleep times.

Thank you for your insight Mark. I spoke with my PT today and he agrees that it wasn't another concussion. He said he can treat my neck injuries, so I will be pursuing that.

PT may find some trigger points in your muscles, those can be treated manually by holding pressure on it a short time, til it resolves..
The scalp pain, eye pain, and dizziness could be due to trigger points & referred pain..

Web search trigger points for more info.. there are even some trigger point interactive sites.

Thanks! I am all too familiar with trigger points. I also have fibromyalgia 🤗. Rolfing has been great for them but I haven’t been going since COVID. I agree that a lot of the nerve pain is due to impinged nerves.