I had my first concussion in my life last March at 22 years old. After that I had two more concussions that year, each 4 months apart. I’ve been living with PCS since.

Around April/May of this year I was starting to make major gains and was feeling more like myself. Then on the 4th of July I jumped off the back of a truck onto grass and jarred my head/neck which brought me wayyy back in progress. I have been going to a chiro and doing vestibular/ocular exercises since.

Last Saturday I was in my moms car and she jerked the car forwards causing my head to hit into the headrest. Since then I have felt the worst I have since last summer. It’s super frustrating to feel like I’m doing everything I should be and the most minor incidents can re-concuss me.

I go to a chiro, get acupuncture, monthly therapeutic massages, ice my neck daily, take all of the recommended supplements, go on daily walks, eat healthy and meditate multiple times a day.

Has anyone had success with getting out of this state of being so vulnerable to new damage?

There's a lot of stories of things like this on this forum. A lot of times these low-force events aren't actually causing concussions (it takes A LOT of force to cause the physiologic changes necessary to set a concussion in motion). Typically, the real cause of the PCS symptom exacerbation tends to stem from one of three things:

A) An aggravation of a subtle neck injury (never experienced this, but lots of stories of it. Seems like it can really mess people up).

B) A migraine attack triggered by either a hit to the head or a sudden movement (overstimulation of the vestibular system). I've experienced this. Migraine is a much broader disorder than people realize. The symptoms can include dizziness with or without traditional headache, and the effects can linger far longer than the initial attack (and even become chronic).

C) A panic attack. Lots of stories of this on here as well. Can cause similar symptoms due to an adrenaline response.

I've had a few legit ones. One of the worst was by being hammer fisted in my head just once by someone 30 lbs lighter than me and I'm only 150 lbs. It was the only time I'd been attacked in the head and just one blow, yet I had bad symptoms for over a month.

More recent events I'm not as clear if they were concussions. I've hit my head on the doorframe of the car probably at least ten times. And I've hit my head against the wall while bending over to adjust the trash bag in the bin. And I've smashed my forehead into the door while looking through the front door peephole when a stranger was knocking.

And just today I had a scary moment where I was trying to avoid a thorn bush along the side of my family's house as I was turning on the wall hose. In doing so I knocked the side of my hat against the brick wall and I'm not sure if I hit my head - or just my hat. Not even an hour later I was turning off the light in a closet and looking up to grab the string - when I did, I tiled my head back and smashed the back of my head into the closet foorframe. I've had nausea and diarrhea since.

Sometimes you have to slow down to be more aware of where your body is relation to other objects.

It is called proprioception..the body’s ability to sense its location, movements, and actions.

Proprioception: What It Is, Problems, Diagnosis, Treatment & More
[Treatments options include:

physical therapy, which can be catered to any underlying injury or condition and involves activities to improve motor skills, strength, and balance
occupational therapy to learn how to manage daily tasks while living with proprioception dysfunction
somatosensory stimulation training, such as vibration therapy
exercises, such as balance exercises
tai chi, which improves lower limb proprioception, according to recent research
yoga, which improves balance and muscle strength]

I would love for you to elaborate more on option B, possibly in PM so not to derail too much of this thread. What kind of sudden movements and how exactly does this attack manifest? I'm looking to relate. Thanks.

Please do not elaborate in a PM. Readers benefit for reading these forum posts.

You can make new thread for migraines discussion.

I'll try to make a longer post in the next few days detailing my migraine story, symptoms, and what I've learned from various doctors. I've posted bits and pieces on other threads but never the full story.