13 year old with Post-Concussion Syndrome

[pcsmom]

My 13 year old daughter suffered a concussion 11 weeks ago during a soccer game.  She has since been diagnosed with Post-concussion syndrome.  She has had a variety of symptoms over the course of the 11 weeks and some seem to be improving.  My concern is that her headache has not gone away.  She has gone from a 9 on a pain scale of 1-10 down to a 6, but it still bounces between 6 & 9 on a daily basis.  I have been told the pain will be the last thing to go away, so it is encouraging to see small changes in other areas.  Her personality seems to be returning, less confusion and memory loss, and less irritability.  She is normally a very active person, a top athlete for her age.  She has recently started doing minimal activities (non-contact, low risk) like cardio and weight lifting.  Can anyone give me an idea of how long this headache will last?  We have tried every OTC you can think of along with Tylenol 3, but had to stop because of rebounding.  Prednisone in one large dose (60mg) made a positive difference but caused a nasty reaction.  In a much smaller dose (20mg x 3, then 10mg x 3) it hasn't seemed to help.  I no longer give her anything to help her sleep, she seems to be sleeping well on her own again.  She is frustrated at being limited with her physical activity and I can only imagine the headache isn't helping her frustration level.  I am at a loss for where to go from here.  She has been seeing an Osteopathic Manipulative Therapist for approx 6 weeks now.  Her doctor says she is seeing definite improvement, but it seems to be slow going. I am looking for info on any treatment procedures that have been successful with others in this situation.

[structuralengr]

How has your daughter recovered?  How long did it take?  My son is 11 and just got a concussion 9 days ago.  How long did she stay out of school?

[pcsmom]

At this time she hasn't yet seen a neurosurgeon.  She has been to the ER 3 times and has seen her GP.  The Osteopathic Manipulative Therapist she has been seeing since Oct. 1st has been managing her care, including one consultation with her mentor about this case.  I truly don't know if I should be looking for a specialist in another area, i.e. Sport's Medicine or Neurology.  The prednisone was stopped after the initial 60mg dose on the advice of her OMT because of her side effect.  Approximately 12 hours after the dose, my daughter started experiencing the sensation that she described as the bones in her hips and knees felt like they were being crushed.  The new course was started 2 weeks later at a much lower dose with no side effects.

[sonu78]

HI,
Your daughter seems to be improving based on your history. Post concussion syndrome usually takes few weeks time for showing signs of improvement. Watchful expectancy under the guidance of a neurosurgeon is all that required at present. Don't load her with any sedatives. Regarding prednisone, though certain side effects are distressing it is better to continue medications as per your neurosurgeon's advice.