Key takeaways
- A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body. A jolt is enough; no impact is required.
- Common signs after a crash: headache, fog, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, trouble concentrating, irritability, and sleep changes. They can appear days later.
- A head injury with vomiting, worsening confusion, a sudden severe headache, or one-sided weakness is the emergency room now.
- Missouri Injury Clinic publishes a dedicated TBI and concussion rehab lane with seven named tools, behind the same doors as the spine work.
- Say the word fog on the phone. You do not need to diagnose yourself before you call.
The question people ask themselves after a crash is whether they hit their head. It is the wrong question. The brain sits inside the skull in fluid, and when the skull stops suddenly the brain keeps going for a fraction of a second before it does too. That is a jolt, and a jolt is enough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes a concussion as a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. Nobody has to black out. Nobody has to bleed. A rear-end hit at commute speed on 270 qualifies.
What it feels like on day three
The day-three fog is the concussion signature on this desk. A shift at work is harder than it should be. A conversation in a loud room is overwhelming. Reading a screen for ten minutes is tiring and the eyes feel like they are working against each other. There is a headache that is steady rather than sharp. Light is too bright. Sleep is off, either too much or not enough. Irritability shows up and the person does not recognize it as a symptom. Per the CDC, these symptoms can appear immediately or may not show up for days after the injury, which is exactly why a quiet first night proves nothing.
Adults and teenagers describe it differently, and athletes often underreport it because they want to get back on the field. The clinic's sports injury lane exists for that last group; the concussion lane is the same lane.
The bright line, specifically for the head
Some head symptoms are not a clinic question. A head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion, a sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a person who is hard to wake, or a headache that keeps getting worse rather than better is the emergency room right now. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke lists worsening symptoms as the signal that a TBI needs emergency care. When you cannot tell which side of the line you are on, the ER is the safe side, and the ER-or-clinic guide says so at length.
The lane, and what it names
Many clinics mention concussion on a services page. Missouri Injury Clinic publishes a dedicated TBI and concussion rehabilitation lane and names the tools in it. In the clinic's own words on its own site, they are:
- Vagus nerve stimulation, a gentle microcurrent applied at the tragus of the ear.
- Neurofeedback.
- Alpha Stim.
- Sensory motor integration.
- Exercise with oxygen.
- Oculomotor rehabilitation, which addresses the eye-movement problems behind the screen intolerance described above.
- Cognitive rehabilitation, using computerized brain-exercise software.
This desk lists them because the clinic publishes them, not because it can tell you which ones apply to you. That is a clinical decision made after an exam. What you can do is make sure the fog, the headache, the light sensitivity, and the screen trouble are on the list you hand the clinician, and say the word concussion on the phone so the call goes to the right lane.
Fog, headache, a screen you cannot look at. That is a concussion question, and the lane for it is behind all three doors.
Start with an exam →Why the neck and the head belong in the same office
The same jolt that loads the brain loads the cervical spine. Many people after a crash have both a whiplash-type neck injury and a concussion, and the symptoms overlap: headache, dizziness, trouble concentrating. Untangling which is which is part of the exam. For a metro full of highway-speed crashes, having the concussion lane behind the same doors as the spine work means one history, one exam, one written plan, and one record, instead of two clinics comparing notes by fax.
What to do this week
Call the nearest office. Hazelwood, (314) 627-1411. Tesson Ferry, (314) 530-5480. O'Fallon, (636) 280-0990. Say crash, say concussion, say when, and say what the last three days have felt like. Bring someone if you are the one who is foggy; a second set of ears at the first visit is worth having. Rest the screens until someone who has examined you tells you otherwise. And if anything on the bright line shows up tonight, it is the ER, not the clinic.
What this page is not
It is not a concussion test and it cannot grade anyone's injury. It is a description of what the lane is, what the clinic names in it, and the line past which the clinic is the wrong door. Everything here is educational, not medical advice, and published as advertising for Missouri Injury Clinic. Joseph L. Hollingsworth, DC, is a chiropractor. Nothing on this desk is legal advice.
Chest pain, a sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a loss of bowel or bladder control, or a head injury with vomiting or worsening confusion is an emergency room trip right now, not a call to a clinic.
Advertising disclosure. This page is advertising. This desk is compensated for featuring Missouri Injury Clinic, and it is not the clinic, not a law office, and not a party to anyone's insurance claim. We publish only the lanes, offices, and hours the clinic publishes on moinjuryclinic.com. We do not write reviews, rank providers, or give medical or legal advice.
Educational only, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Hours and phone numbers are as published on moinjuryclinic.com; confirm on the call.