Hey everyone, I was backing into a parking lot going around 10-15 mph and my car hit this wooden pole. My head flew back and slammed into the headrest. I don't really care what anyone has to say about anxiety. I'm ****** off at myself, anxiety is skyrocketing, and I am fairly certain I have a concussion.

Has anyone experienced this sort of thing before, or does anyone have any opinions on whether this is a concussion or not? I'm a college student, and I have finals next week. I fear I'm not going to perform if I have a concussion, and there are means by which I can get out of taking them with a medical excuse, and so I really want to figure out if I should pursue that. I understand this is more a matter of whether or not I feel I can take them given any cognitive difficulties, but I just need some support, some comment, or anything to give me some clarity right now.

Thanks,
Tyler

I assume your head was turned a bit as you were backing up, so your neck probably got a twist & whiplash effect..
treat for sore/strained neck muscles and take a day at a time.. relax, deep breathing etc..

Tyler, You would need to cause very serious damage to your car to have any stopping force that could cause a concussion.

Your car's headrest absorbs a lot of impact and reduces the G forces substantially with that energy absorption.

And, NO. You were not going 10 to 15 mph. More like 3 to 5 miles per hour. 15 mph backwards is an exciting ride. Even 10 mph is.

A mild neck strain could have happened.

You say you don't care what anybody says about anxiety. Then, you say your anxiety is skyrocketing. Your anxiety is far more impactful on your cognitive skills than any mild concussion. The neurochemicals caused by anxiety will have a direct impact on your memory and cognitive abilities.

I struggled in school. My struggles were not caused by may many concussions. They were caused by how I stressed during test taking. I would know the subject matter with mastery. The instructor knew I knew the subject matter. During tests, the increased stress would cause a mental block that impacted memory recall. As soon as I handed in the test/exam, I could recite the questions and remember and give the correct answers.

SO, No. It was not a cognitive issue. It was a 'dealing with stress' issue.

NO. Not a concussion. There was not even close to enough impact force. You already know why you feel so bad.

You need to consider how you can best treat your struggles. Concussions are not the cause of your struggles.

Hi Mark,
Thank you for your response, and I know what my struggles are in terms of anxiety. It's interesting that you claim it was 3-5 mph simply because I believe you were right if not a slight underestimate as I noted no damage to my vehicle.

I see so many people on this forum and otherwise claiming to be concussed after being rear-ended. If they are being rear-ended in low speed (10-15 mph) collisions, it just seems to follow that this event was of equal or greater force seeing that I hit a stationary object. Acceleration comes down to a change in velocity, and if you are moving in one direction, hit a stationary object, and are propelled in the opposite direction, it may prove similarly forceful as a one-way event such as a rear-end collision.

I am also not sure just how much cushioning a headrest performs, as you would have to be in contact with it for something like 100 milliseconds or more for it to substantially reduce force to the head.

I suppose those trains of thought aren't even relevant, but I am scared that an event similar to those that have caused concussions can have similar physical repercussions (i.e. a concussion).

You've had a lot a experience with concussions, Mark, so at what point did it just not matter to you if a blow to the head was a concussion or not? What made you indifferent (or whatever term you would use to describe your perspective)? You've clearly overcome concussion anxiety, but what allowed you to defeat that?

Tyler

There are two injuries that occur during a concussion. First there is the impact force that can do damage, but as others pointed out, that's not likely, so don't worry about it.

The second injury is the inflammation that the brain produces in response to the impact and it's that inflammation that causes the symptoms. Inflammation has a beneficial role in the beginning, but prolonged inflammation is bad. Anxiety can also cause the brain to produce these inflammatory compounds. So you can have concussion-like symptoms without a forceful impact.

So take Curcumin and Fish Oil, both of which are anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective. Then rest and relax for a couple days to allow the inflammation to subside, then gradually resume your previous activity level.

I have suffered at least 14 concussions. Only ONE caused me to say, "I'm going to pay for this one." Oddly, I never had symptoms after the first few minutes so I did not pay for that one.

I have bumped my head many times. I know when I suffered a concussion by the immediate symptoms. Delayed symptoms without immediate symptoms are meaningless to me.

I have serious anxiety issues. Just not from worry about head bumps. Over-stimulation sends my brain into a tizzy that can take hours of recovery. I have rescue meds for the worst times but have not needed them in many years because I have learned to moderate over-stimulation.

Bumpers absorb 5 mph, by law. The thin padding in a head rest reduces impact force greatly. Do the physics of 5 mph impact with different deflections.

I've done those calculations. It is amazing how 1/4 inch, even 1/8th inch of deflection reduces acceleration/deceleration values. Hit the headrest with your hand and watch how far it moves. I bet it moves 1 inch.

Do the calculations of the force required to have 60 Gs of acceleration/deceleration with 1/2 inch of deflection. It will be worth your time.

I have never been concerned about cognitive effects. I've suffered the cognitive and memory effects of concussion/mTBI since 1965. They cause some challenges but as one neuro said, I overcome those struggles with work-arounds. He assessment of my brain dysfunction caused him to ask, "How do you function with such a dysfunctional brain?" Then, he looked at my intelligence factors and said. "I see. You use your intelligence to overcome your dysfunctions."

90 out of 100 average bears have better memory functions than me. I have better smarts than 95 out of 100 bears. I use those smarts to deal with the memory and cognitive challenges.

I know what works well and what does not. I don't fret the bad. I just find other ways to get things done.

I am more concerned about headaches. Two of my last 4 concussions caused head aches that were chronic for over 6 months.

Whiplash can cause almost all of the symptoms of a concussion by interrupting blood flow and such. Whiplash does not cause long term cognitive/memory problems.