Whether you were involved in a car accident or you’ve been hurt at work, injuries to the head are a common occurrence under many circumstances involving negligent behavior. Your entire world can be tossed upside down with even a minor hit to the head as it can cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The unpredictability of this condition can leave you with a lot of uncertainty about your future quality of life.

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a complication of TBI with a wide range of symptoms affecting different victims. Working through a TBI recovery is tough enough but learning that there could be long-term fallout from the damage can cause you or a family member to feel lost or frustrated. Understanding what you could be up against can help guide you in a hopeful direction to improve your everyday life while managing PCS.

What are the risk factors that lead to PCS?

Not every patient who has had a TBI will automatically experience PCS. There are certain factors that can increase the chances of the condition developing, however. If you fall into any of these categories and have had a head injury, pay close attention to the symptoms you could begin feeling:

• Are female
• Are an older adult
• Have a history of concussion or prolonged recovery
• Have a history of a mood, anxiety, learning, or seizure disorder
• Have had migraine headaches in the past
• Have endured a severe or double impact
• Have major visual symptoms soon after a TBI

PCS symptoms can fall into four categories; cognitive, sensory, mood, or blood dysregulation. You may have symptoms from only one of these categories or all of them depending upon how severely the syndrome affects you.

Watch for:

• Difficulty focusing, finding things, or reading
• Being easily distracted
• Confusion or memory problems
• Feeling overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, or irritable
• Feeling lethargic or lacking motivation
• Blurred vision/eye fatigue, motion sickness, changes in taste or smell, or tinnitus
• Headache/pressure, fatigue, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity
• Trouble sleeping
• Chronic neck pain

Is post-concussion syndrome permanent?

Provided you seek proper treatment, at this point in time it is not believed that PCS is a permanent condition. However, because it is so unpredictable, there isn’t a straightforward answer as to how long someone may suffer with symptoms. The existence of underlying medical conditions like spinal cord injuries can directly affect the treatment of PCS. Many concussions resolve on their own within weeks and you’d never know you had one. Symptoms that linger for months may be a telltale sign that you have PCS but you need to be properly diagnosed.

If your concussion is the result of a high-impact auto accident or you were hit in the head while doing your job, your personal injury attorney needs to know that your recovery progress has become more complicated. The length of time it takes you to heal will play a role in your settlement.

How do you treat post-concussion syndrome?

Initially, rest and allowing your brain the necessary time to readjust may be all that you need. If it becomes evident that you’re not showing improvement, there are promising therapy treatments available to you. Alleviating your symptoms may require treating their root cause, which can be a little more medically involved.

The various treatments you may undergo include:

• Vision therapy can help relieve any symptom stemming from eye movement such as headaches and dizziness.
• Neuro-optometric rehabilitation uses certain visual tools to help stimulate normal brain function.
• Vestibular therapy helps rebuild your balance to eliminate dizziness or vertigo through use of specific exercises.
• Physical therapy can be used to treat headaches that accompany other injuries that benefit from stretching, massage or heat treatment.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy may help resolve mood disorders.

Finding the right treatment for your particular set of challenges can take some trial and error. It can be hard to remain positive when you’re putting in the work but not feeling the benefits. Be honest with your therapy professionals so they can reevaluate and make appropriate changes to your treatment plan.

Dealing with PCS can become debilitating to those who have had to live with the symptoms for extended periods of time. Getting help that will allow you to properly function again can be costly and you shouldn’t have to shoulder that expense when someone else’s negligence caused your difficulties.

Learn how the Knoxville head, neck and brain injury attorneys at Banks & Jones can put their experience to work to secure the financial resources needed to obtain the medical treatment you deserve. Arrange your free consultation with one of our caring personal injury attorneys by calling 865.290.2663 or we invite you to start the process by reaching out to us through our contact form.