Stress is more likely to cause a relapse than a rough ride. Worrying about a rough ride that obviously stressed your body and especially your neck is the king of stress. Rest is not video games......They are stressors.

I bet your body was surging in lactic acid from your beat up muscles.

You do not need to be resting at all. Let symptoms be your guide. If symptoms increase, stop the activity. Jogging is rough on the neck and can put vertical loads on C-1 and C-2 causing inflammation, just like your bike ride. Avoid all stressors until after exams.

Caffeine should be avoided.

Studies show that people 80% of people who suffer long term PCS have a pre-existing struggle with depression and anxiety. Resolving that will be a great improvement.

The vitamins regimen in the sticky above helps many tolerate stress. Adding 5-HTP and L-Theanine also improves anxiety and depression symptoms without drugs.

Hey Alaska 89,

I would say that your symptoms have nothing to do with concussion and everything to do with pushing yourself hard on a lot of fronts.

Your student work load is enormous. You should congratulate yourself on extraordinary discipline. However are you studying effectively? It's important to take frequent rest breaks between study sessions to actually speed learning. There's a lot of information out there on study techniques/ simple memory training that make studying more effective and fun.

I think your body/mind is crying out for rest and you attributing natural fatigue to an old concussion. Naturally it is making you anxious. and stressed. If your body/mind is telling you to cut back then listen to it.

Best wishes,

Atty

Leaning forward on a bike & adding in very bumpy ride is a big factor in neck /arm tension/stressors..
Consider how much your head weighs, then add in the factor of how it hangs out in front of the body on our neck..
There are calculations on the added weight & stress to our neck muscles, shoulders , even upper back adds in to it..
A web search can find that info..
Plus you naturally would tense up from the bumpy ride, so that stifles the free flow of good blood/oxygen to the areas involved..

Cyclist's Neck - Physiopedia
more...
how much head weight is added to spine when riding a bike - Google Search

I appreciate everyone's responses. As Mark and Jomar suggest, I have long suspected that I have a subtle neck injury, which I apologize for not mentioning in my original post. Stress is also a factor that I try my best to reduce.

The "concussion clinic" I went to in 2019 referred me to a physical therapist who prescribed various neck stretches, which I used to do daily until recently. I'm not sure if they help, but I figure they can't hurt. Also, I'm not sure what else can be done if it is a neck injury.

Today I studied most of the day, and seemed pretty good until later afternoon when I stopped for the Chauvin verdict (I live near the twin cities). At that point I realized I had an inordinate amount of brain fog that continued to accumulate when I tried to keep working.

Is it normal for brain fog to increase during cognitive work and staring at a computer screen with a neck injury? Also this may be a stupid question, but is it possible to make a neck injury worse by "pushing through" symptoms?

I do notice a very subtle tender/sore spot at the base of my skull on my right side, kind of where the C1/C2 vertebrae that Mark mentioned are located. What other indicators might there be to know for sure that I have a neck injury?

Thanks everyone.

Subtle neck injuries may manifest as a tender spot at the bone behind the ear.

Neck stretches are not therapeutic. Neck strengthening with minimal movements can improve the muscles but the ligaments take a long time of no stress to improve.

Good sleep posture and good head and neck posture while looking at a computer is important. Texting neck posture is the worst. Do not look down at your phone and text with your head tipped forward.

Staring at a computer screen is not helpful to recovering from brain fog.

You might also look up trigger points - there are websites with interactive body maps , symptoms and can help to find out if you have them.
If you have trigger points- stretching will not get rid of them, you have to apply pressure right on the tender spot until it fades away..then gentle stretch to bring good flow into the area..
The wrong stretches or too aggressive stretching can make things worse..

This is a good one for neck & upper back..
Pain Reference Chart
you don't need any special tool, a thumb or pencil or such works fine..

trigger points chart - Google Search

Hey Alaska 89,

Brain fog is perfectly normal with excessive computer and means you need a break. Regular breaks are essential for exam preparation and learning.
A lot of young people these days will study, then look at their phone and then play video games. All of them employ the same bent over posture and use the same brain circuits resulting in fatigue and the symptoms you have described. It would also explain the symptoms you experienced off road cycling that employs a forward head posture.
Running requires an upright posture as does walking and these are great ways of relieving stress caused by excess near vision tasks and resting brain circuits associated with convergence. On top of a previous neck injury this is the most likely explanation given your extraordinary revision schedule.

You may have something called upper crossed syndrome ...

Upper Crossed Syndrome: Exercises, Treatments, and Symptoms

I urge you not to automatically blame a previous concussion for your symptoms. Anxiety and concussion are separate entities.

What are you studying?

What do you hope to do post examination?

Best wishes,

Atty