Do You Have These Side Effects After a Concussion?
If you’ve suffered a concussion and chronic pain from a fall, sports event, work-related injury, car crash, or other trauma, you know that you experience much more than just a brief headache or dazed feeling.
You may deal with long-term headaches and migraines, neck pain, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, memory issues, sensitivity to light or noise, and chronic fatigue.
These common concussion symptoms can persist when your brain and spine are not communicating with each other correctly or when neurological and musculoskeletal systems are disrupted. And even after numerous MRIs, X-rays, and tests, you may still struggle with chronic pain. Well, know that you are not alone.
Undiagnosed Concussions and Head Injuries
Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million people suffer concussions or other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). But many cases go unreported or undiagnosed per the National Safety Council and data from The Brain Injury Association.
For children and adolescents, concussion rates may be even higher than official counts suggest. Studies estimate up to 1.9 million youth experience a concussion annually, with a significant portion never treated in a medical setting.
In fact, CDC data shows that only about 3.9% of U.S. children aged 0 to 17 have ever received a formal concussion diagnosis, while 6.8% report lifetime symptoms of concussion or brain injury. This indicates that many concussions go undiagnosed each year.
Why So Much Confusion About The Cause of Chronic Pain?
As we discussed previously, ligament laxity may be the culprit. This occurs when ligaments become overstretched or weakened.
In the cervical spine, this can cause instability, nerve irritation, and chronic pain. Since traditional MRIs and X-rays take static imaging, they miss what’s going on with the spine in real-time and can’t see if there are any disruptions between spine and brain communication patterns.
Now There Is A Solution!
Things have come a long way with imaging technology. We now use advanced motion guided imaging of the spine and brain function testing to identify ligament laxity and neurological dysfunction missed by traditional imaging.
This allows providers to see what’s really going on and provide an accurate diagnosis. Then, you can use this data to get the right treatment necessary to start healing and finally be free of chronic pain.
You can feel better and live a healthier life now and in the future!