Concussion Help....?

Question

My 14 year old son received a concussion while playing football. It has been 4 days and he does seem some better. However he still is slightly confused and he said he gets shooting pains in his head. His personality has changed as well...He also has complained with his neck hurting some and the doctor seems to believe it is a pulled muscle in his neck.. I was told that if he wasn't better that I needed to call and schedule an MRI (they did a CT scan in the ER). Would the MRI shows something new that the CT didn't? The CT showed everything was good..

Answer 1

An MRI is a more in-depth view into the bone and tissue structures than what a CT scan provides. It provides a lot more detail, but takes longer and is more expensive than the CT.

I am concerned about the personality change. I would suggest getting that MRI done as soon as possible. Line up an exam with a neurologist, and possibly an orthopedist. While I believe in chiropractic, now is not the time for that. Trauma to the head/neck/spinal area needs to be carefully evaluated by specialists in the very early days.

Answer 2

Absolutely!

You will also want to consult a chiropractor.  The neck pain can be indicative of an injury that will only increase over time.  At his age you certainly don't want to take any chances.  

Answer 3

CT scans are great for looking at the bones and can be very useful in diagnosing inner ear malformations that could be contributing to the deafness.  MRI scans are used for looking at soft tissue (muscle, white matter, gray matter, etc.). Concussions are soft-tissue injuries, and therefore, an MRI would be better.

MRI can detect brain abnormalities in about 30 percent of people who have had normal CT scans.

There is also a thing called post-concussion syndrome.

Post-concussion symptoms include:

    * Headaches

    * Dizziness

    * Fatigue

    * Irritability

    * Anxiety

    * Insomnia

    * Loss of concentration and memory

    * Noise and light sensitivity

Headaches can feel like tension or migraine, and may contain qualities of both. In some cases, people experience behavior or emotional changes after a mild traumatic brain injury. Family members may notice that the person has become more irritable, argumentative, stubborn, opinionated or suspicious.

Answer 4

Did you take your son to a neurologist? If not start there. Confusion and shooting pains should really be looked after quick. MRI's are good, but it seems that something else is wrong especially with the personality changes. I have to have surgery on my neck and nobody caught that until I started fainting all the time. My diagnosis: what we thought was a sore neck ended up being several vertabrea that need to be plated.