Is it possible that I incurred any amount of (permanent) brain damage?

[nycstudent1994]

Last month I was a passenger in a car that had to abruptly come to a halt. We didn't crash into anything, and my head didn't hit anything. I went to my doctor and he said that it is very unlikely I developed a concussion or anything similar to that.

My concern is this. I have developed significant and recurring headaches since the incident. I am very sensitive to bad driving and have been dealing with profound headaches for years. I was in a much better spot until this car ride which seemed to have revived the headaches with a vengeance. I have noticed that my thinking has become a bit clouded and my ability to process what I am reading has diminished, sometimes I will read a paragraph multiple times without retaining any of the information. I have also had trouble recalling words and their meanings which normally I am very good at.

A lot of this haziness normally happens whenever I have a particularly bad spell of headaches. I want to ask whether it is physiologically possible for there to be permanent brain damage (to ANY degree) from this incident. The car was moving at regular speeds (30-40 mph) before the breaks were slammed. No, the airbags did not deploy.

Serious treatment of my concern would really be appreciated, and any thoughts you had to offer would very much put me at ease.

[Ball123]

No you can not get a brain injury from that. No whiplash either. Whiplashes occur if your head gets thrown backwards not forwards. Neck injuries could occur in theory but probably not.

You probably are suffering from a headache condition (maybe migraines) and this incident caused a flare up. That is quite likely.

I also find it a bit strange that you ask this question. Normally people would not think about brain damage after this. This makes me suspect that you might be suffering from some anxiety issue or similar in addition to your headache disorder. If that is the case you might be able to get some help from proffessionals, since living with anxiety can be pretty disabeling and energy draining. I hope I don't insult you. I just mean to help. And indeed, I can be wrong..

Either way, take care and I wish you the best!

[flipper336]

I have to agree with selmaS that it is not very likely you suffered any type of brain damage. The reason being is that you did not hit your head on anything to cause it, but you could of possible received wipe lash.

Your symptoms could also be psychological. And no I am not saying you are just making it up or are crazy. One of the reasons I am saying this is because you stated,"I am very sensitive to bad driving". The other reason is because one of my daughters had a similar problem.

Talk with a doctor about your issues because you do not need to be in pain regardless of what it may be.

[selmaS]

  Hi.. I know how you feel and have had headaches my whole life and being in an incident where your whole body is jarred like that can cause symptoms to flare or even cause something like whip lash.....have you had a MRI or xray?

Since you have headaches in your medical history, has any testing been done to find the source?

It is doubtful you incurred brain damage from this incident....but you may want testing to see what if anything did occur.