After a concussion or other brain injury, your loved one may start exhibiting some behaviors that are considered inappropriate and childlike. They may be prone to crying (emotional lability), angry outbursts, impulsive behaviors, and more. It may seem like their words and behaviors are out of character or that they’re failing to understand and respect the feelings of others.
If you have post-concussion syndrome, you might think that the Mayo Clinic would be a serious contender as your treatment provider. After all, the Mayo Clinic is a world-renowned medical and research center with facilities in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota. Patients have access to a wide range of medical specialties and healthcare options, with over 100 medical and surgical services available throughout the system. Their drive and dedication have earned them many top rankings in varied specialties, including endocrinology, gastroenterology, and cancer, to name just a few.
Very few clinics offer specialized treatment for post concussion syndrome (PCS). Cognitive FX specializes exclusively in treating the root causes of lingering post-concussion symptoms (as well as those caused by similar brain injury mechanisms, such as transient ischemic attack or carbon monoxide poisoning). Amen Clinics treats a wide variety of mental health disorders, emotional issues, and behavioral challenges, such as depression, anxiety, addictions, and anger. This article examines the differences in evaluation, treatment, support, and pricing of Amen Clinics vs. Cognitive FX for persistent symptoms of brain injury.
Despite the fact that your concussion was weeks (or months or even years) ago, you’re still experiencing symptoms. Maybe they’re ever-present reminders of an injury you’d rather forget, or maybe they come and go as you attempt to live your life as fully as you can. Either way, you’re still suffering. What’s going on, and what can you do about it?
Post-concussion syndrome is downright frustrating to experience. Doctors often miss it during diagnosis, and even if they do make the diagnosis, treatment methods vary considerably from clinic to clinic. What works for some doesn’t work for others.
The number of patients with long COVID may be decreasing, but those still experiencing the condition need reliable treatments and resources for recovery more than ever.
If you’ve suffered a concussion, you can usually expect to get better over the course of two weeks. (Concussions from sports injuries average 7–10 days, while recovery from concussions from other causes can take up to three months.) During this time, you might have your up and down days, but the upward trajectory should be there. Unfortunately, not all patients get better. In fact, up to 30% of post-concussion patients develop long-lasting symptoms. While those symptoms might stay stable, you could notice things getting worse instead of better.
Vertigo is a common symptom after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Most patients describe it as feeling like either the room is spinning or they are. Almost half of those who sustain a concussion report vertigo in the first few days after their injury. For most patients, this feeling dissipates within a few days or weeks at most, but for some, post-concussion vertigo persists for years after the trauma.
Headaches are one of the most common symptoms after a head injury (studies show 70% of mTBI patients experience them, though 84% of our patients report having them). They can develop after mild, moderate, or severe injuries. For many patients, the headaches develop for the first time shortly after the injury. For others, the injury causes pre-existing headaches, such as migraines, to worsen.
If left untreated, whiplash can cause long-term symptoms that are unlikely to go away on their own. Studies show that some patients recover within the first three months after their neck injury, but if they’re still experiencing symptoms past this period, improvement is unlikely without appropriate treatment. For example, hockey player Sidney Crosby suffered for months until doctors recognized untreated whiplash. Once he received appropriate treatment, he was able to continue with his career.
Whiplash can cause physical and neurological damage that results in long-term symptoms. In addition, the same event that caused whiplash could also have caused a concussion. (The sudden motion can cause the brain to collide with the skull even if there is no external impact on the head.) Concussions can develop into post-concussion syndrome (PCS), with symptoms persisting for months or even years.
Concussions can have long-term physical, cognitive, and emotional effects. Symptoms such as brain fog, headaches, and depression can last for months or years after the initial injury. When the effects of a concussion last for three months or more, we call it post-concussion syndrome (PCS).
Struggling to fall asleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night from a strange nightmare? Rising exhausted in the morning? These are all signs that you may suffer from COVID-related insomnia — colloquially known as COVIDsomnia or coronasomnia.
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can lead to severe long-term cognitive, physical, and behavioral symptoms, such as problems with memory, difficulty concentrating, balance issues, and mental health problems. Symptoms can continue even when the source of the gas is removed. Patients affected by CO poisoning can experience symptoms for months or even years after exposure.
Most patients with COVID-19 recover within a few days or weeks after a brief acute infection. However, about 10% experience long-term symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, and even psychological issues like depression and anxiety. Experiencing these persistent symptoms is known as long COVID, long-haul COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-Cov-2 infection (PASC).
At the moment, treatment options for long COVID patients are limited. Many patients cope with their symptoms using existing medications or treatments targeting specific symptoms like headaches or sleep problems, but these efforts are just stopgaps. They don’t actually resolve the underlying cause of symptoms associated with long COVID. Researchers know there is a growing need to identify new and effective treatments for these patients.
After a concussion or other type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), some patients experience persistent symptoms for months, or even years. This condition is known as post-concussion syndrome (PCS), and it can affect patients of any age.
“Post-traumatic brain injury syndrome” refers to long-term repercussions from concussions and other head injuries. Someone using this term could be referring to one of three conditions:
Loss of taste and smell featured heavily in the news during the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the first signs of infection. But this is not the only condition that may lead to loss of smell. You could also experience this symptom after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), whether it was a mild TBI (concussion) or a severe head injury.
Headaches. Dizziness. Brain fog. Constant fatigue. Feeling overwhelmed or like your emotions can’t stabilize. These and so many other symptoms can remain for months, or even years, after a concussion. If you feel like your recovery is excruciatingly slow, you’re not alone. Up to 30% of people who suffer a concussion experience persistent symptoms for months or years later.