Emotions, Chronic Pain, and Concussion

With the current pandemic situation and winter near site I thought a good topic to write about would be emotional well-being, how it can impact concussion recovery, and an app that has been a game changer for my emotional and psychological well-being. In general, I find this part of our health often gets neglected, I personally only sought out psychological therapy in recent months, and despite recent efforts there is still a significant amount of stigma surrounding the topic. I have found medical doctors to sometimes perpetuate these stigmas with statements like “it’s all in your head”, “that’s not related to the concussion”, or” you’re just hypervigilant”. The strange part is that if you strip away the implicit message that you’re crazy or that you are the problem and take the meaning of the statement literally they are kind of right. Perhaps with some clarification I can offer some validation and understanding that you are indeed not crazy.

     If you think of your brain like a computer, there are two main operating systems, the hardware and software. The hardware are the physical structures in the brain and the software consists of the circuits in our brain that run all bodily functions, regulate emotions, and interpret sensory feedback to allow us to engage with our environment. Sustaining a concussion causes the software in our brain to change without hardware damages. Therefore imaging rarely shows any abnormalities after a concussion but patients still present symptoms. There are many reasons for presenting emotional symptoms. To start, the brain regulates emotions and experiences tied to these emotions through a circuit called the limbic system. Not only can a mild traumatic brain injury directly affect emotions through the limbic system but it can also indirectly affect psychological and emotional states. Generally, I see this in two ways. Firstly, and most obviously, lifestyle changes due to the concussion - like social isolation can lead to an increase recent risk of depression. Secondly, emotional symptoms are secondary to other issues. For example, if your vestibular system is not working properly and your brain can’t figure out where it is in space, the output can result in anxiety. So, with the understanding that concussions can really dramatically affect emotions, to further complicate the situation, emotions can affect our experience of pain. Since headaches commonly coincide with the various other symptoms post-concussion, I think this is a point that needs more attention. Only recently, through the Curable app, have I learned about the deep interplay between emotions, trauma, and pain.

       As a disclaimer HeadsupCAN has no financial ties to the app Curable but I still think it’s an amazing app. It offers expert interviews with psychiatrists, neurologists and neuroscientists. It also offers recovery stories to give you hope when you feel down, and most importantly it offers exercises that you can do at your own pace. After the tutorial it prompts you with four exercise options including meditations, writing exercises, brain training exercises, and just general education about emotions and chronic pain. Filling out the questionnaire upon entering the app creates a more personalized user experience. It offers personalized exercises for you to do over time and each time you go to the app it offers new exercises, keeping it fun and interesting. The other great thing about the app is that at $80 per year it’s the most affordable treatment I have ever used. Plus, it is very convenient as you can do it in the comfort of your own home. I would highly recommend trying the app out if you struggle with headaches and/or emotional symptoms that can come with post-concussion.

 Ultimately emotional functioning contributes to overall brain function, and prioritizing emotional well-being makes a more complete and robust recovery plan. In all honesty, dealing with a brain injury may give you the opportunity to work on the emotional baggage you may have neglected over the years. This could even lead to you becoming more emotionally and psychologically resilient than before the injury. If you are unsure how or where to begin on the journey to better understand your emotional well-being, then asking for help or utilizing apps at your disposal such as Curable, is a great place to start!