Post-Concussion Syndrome is a set of symptoms that persists for at least 3 months after a concussion/mTBI. Even though some people recover quickly from a concussion, that does not mean that everyone does. Brain injuries are often times referred to as the "invisible injury" because of how subjective the symptoms can be. This can leave a person feeling like they are crazy or wondering if they are making it up in their own head. These symptoms are real, can be debilitating, and take a toll on one's life.
Because there are so many symptoms that can go with post-concussion syndrome it can be difficult to track progress. We track people's progress with the post-concussion symptom scale (PCSS), which allows a person to rate their symptoms on a scale from 0 to 6. After filling out the questionnaire, there is a total score out of 132 for symptom severity and then a score for total number of symptoms out of 22. Our goal at Brain Health and Chiropractic is to get these numbers as low as possible utilizing chiropractic care, functional neurology, and functional medicine. Here is a list of the symptoms on a post-concussion symptom scale:
1. Headache....................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
2. Nausea........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 3. Vomiting.......................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
4. Balance problems........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
5. Dizziness.....................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 6. Fatigue........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Trouble falling to sleep................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
8. Excessive sleep..........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 9. Loss of sleep...............................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
10. Drowsiness...............................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 11. Light sensitivity..........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
12. Noise sensitivity........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
13. Irritability....................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 14. Sadness....................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 15. Nervousness.............................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 16. More emotional.........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
17. Numbness.................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 18. Feeling "slow"............................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 19. Feeling "foggy"..........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
20. Difficulty concentrating..............0 1 2 3 4 5 6
21. Difficulty remembering...............0 1 2 3 4 5 6
22. Visual problems.........................0 1 2 3 4 5 6
If you feel like you are experiencing a variety of the above symptoms and have a history of concussion, we would love to help you. You can get in contact with us through our website (brainhealthandchiro.com) or call (605) 799-7579.
Yours in health,
Dr. Cooper Dykstra DC, CFMP