Post- Concussion Syndrome and layers of sports injuries

Invincible--most rugby players are very sure they are. Rocky was no different. At 22, with a history of five concussions and many significant poundings in a 5-year period, Rocky had no idea how ill he actually had become.

But his body knew. Post-concussion symptoms led to withdrawal from college. He couldn't concentrate. He couldn't gather his thoughts well.

He spoke with a slow-motion tempo, fighting for the words he wanted to say. He would become anxious easily and was too jumpy to sleep well. Double vision, blurry vision at times, dizziness, severe migraines, neck pain, shoulder pain, upper and lower back pain, knee pain, tremors in his hands. Rocky just lived with all of it.

He already was seeing a neurologist, orthopedist, visual physical therapist, vestibular physical therapist, and others when his mother, with trust and hope, brought him to see me.

Layers and layers of trauma can create layers and layers of dysfunction in the body.

Initially, his heightened pain response to even light touch hindered my FCS evaluation and treatment. Slowly and carefully, we found releases that were gentle even for him. Layer by layer, we found each pocket of dysfunction and released it. We found inflammation hiding spots along nerves, arteries, and veins. We found them within muscle groups, within the spine, and within joints and discs.

I will not forget his fifth session of FCS. I smiled at him and asked him how he was feeling. In lightning speed, he responded, "Well, my headaches are improving, my shoulders still hurt, but my back is much better."

I said, "Um . . . do you realize how fast you can talk?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. You fixed that last week. But can we fix my shoulders today?"

He required more than ten 45-minute sessions.

Rocky returned to college the very next spring semester and did very well. He no longer has brain fog or concentration issues. His back pain and neck pain are gone. He does not have visual issues. He has no dizziness. His speech is back to its regular rate and rhythm. He still occasionally has headaches, but they are not severe.

He came back last week, noting that his knees and feet hurt. After all, he IS a rugby player!