Gears, Welcome to NT.

Your delayed symptoms are delayed longer than concussion symptoms usually are. The doctor's diagnosis is meaningless. They do not have any tests for concussion other than the subjective complaints of the patient unless the concussion is severe and causes objective symptoms in a neurological exam.

I agree with Jo*mar. You likely jammed your upper neck and have upper neck inflammation. Such an injury will not show up on imaging.

Gentle therapy by an upper cervical specialist would be worthwhile. Gentle traction and range limited movement/manipulation is helpful for many.
DO NOT DO RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES. They will likely trigger more inflammation. Icing your upper neck and being disciplined to maintain good head and neck posture when resting or sleeping is very important.

Your symptoms suggest upper cervical inflammation that impacts blood flow to the brain stem where heart rate and body sensations are processed.

Mark, Jo*mar:

Thank you both for the fast responses and great advice. I can definitely see this compressing the neck now that I think about it.

I was on the floor on my knees and was standing up, hit the area between forehead and top on the rounded edge of quartz vanity countertop. It would have pressed right down my neck. I don’t think it was more than 10” travel before I hit.

I’ll search for a practitioner with upper cervical knowledge and have the ice bag going as I type! I had not even considered neck posture at rest, will work on that as well.


Phil

Phil, Another NTer just showed me this link.

Atlas joint instability: Causes, consequences and solutions - MSK Neurology

"Thick ligaments hold these joints in place, but patients with atlas misalignment often have ligament laxity after e.g whiplash injuries and/or years of improper cervical posture and movement patterns. Most of the time, despite some level of ligamentous laxity, great and lasting results can be achieved by re-establishing proper postural and cervical movement habits, as well as significantly strengthening the muscles that stabilize and syncronize the movements of the atlas joints. The key lies in changing the patient’s habits"

Mark

This is great information and I think right in line with what is happening.

I was able to connect with a trusted practitioner our family has used for years. After taking time to discuss what happened and perform an evaluation his conclusion was a neck injury in the C0-C1 area.

He looked at my xrays, watched me walk/sit and it is pretty obvious I am hunching from years of IT desk work and bad habits. He referred to it as ‘upper crossed syndrome’. So much for thinking I was healthy lol.

The plan is exactly as noted in your post. Small, consistent exercises for sitting, walking, standing are the path forward to re establish habits. A big part of it is ‘spinal flossing’ and working deep neck flexors as well.

No quick fixes, but definitely doable over time.

Thanks again for your assistance, it has been most helpful to me,

Phil