I hope it works out better for you than me. I was in a bike crash about this time last year and took a good shot to the head. Felt like crap for a day but was cleared for full workouts in 3 days. I felt fine but just couldn't produce power and got very few quality training sessions in. Ended up with a DNF at Lake Placid.

Not sure if the concussion was my problem, but I did a 100 mile bike race a few weeks before the accident and felt great. I couldn't begin reproduce that effort in Lake Placid

Big issue is possibility of second concussion that can do much more long term damage than your first/original concussion. Do some googling of that. Avoiding the possibility of significant and permanent may be one of the reasons for the recommendations.

My concussion from hitting metal street sign head first going about 22 mph per my PM/Computer, caused me issues for at least a month. I know others who are unable to get back to normal function for 4+ months.

Having been through a severe concussion recovery, I'd take that two weeks pretty seriously. I couldn't look at a laptop or a phone without a crushing migraine to start. That took about four weeks to finally subside. We then started a rehab protocol (when I was done with my spinal brace) where I was allowed to elevate my HR until I became symptomatic again, at which we'd try to train there for a while. It wasn't until about 16 weeks later that I actually felt OKish.

I recommend this: http://www.aoasm.org/...Vidal_Vestibular.pdf

TL;DR version: Don't fuck with concussions.

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concussions are serious injuries & not to be messed with. It's your brain that's injured....you need that.

Take it by feel & don't put high expectations on yourself. They manifest a little differently in everyone.

I took a hit a few weeks ago while kayaking, tiny concussion at most but I felt wonky for 4-5 days...just laid off completely until I started to even feel normal. Even then it took another week or so to even start feeling good while swimming again. I probably pushed the envelope a bit quick. I had major concussions in college bike wrecks & I really have to be cognizant about not accumulating too many....

Good friend took a serious hit paddling about 6wks ago, still isn't back to 100%, but has started to ease back into light lifting. She's still limited on high-capacity work & training loads, minimal cardio (so as to not overly tax her systems) & lots of rest.

Two weeks is reasonable, your brain needs time to settle & heal. You'll really need to play it all by ear & see how you actually feel. Listening to your body & not just motoring through will be key.

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AW

Ok, he goes. I have had several concussions. One on a MTB going to slow of all things fell over and hit the back of my head. It wasn't my first concussion in my life so I knew the signs. This one I didn't bounce back fast lie previous ones. It took me 3 months for the headache to go away. Took it slow with gradual increase in intensity and length and within a month back to regular volume. The next one was also MTB. Buddy grabbed my handlebar on the road on the way to the trails, wiped me out completely! I was knocked out for about a minute and cracked the back of my helmet. Next day felt fine and we went out and hit the trails again. This time no headaches so why not? I should have waited because I snapped my chain and tore my ACL and meniscus but that's for a different time.
With that all being said, there is no set time for recovery. My examples were the long and short I have experienced with the others being in the middle. A concussion is a brain injury. Each person will handle it differently so listen to your doc and then go by feel. Your body will tell you when it is enough.

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I'd be very careful about doing an ironman whilst recovering from concussion.

I was concussed snowboarding 6 years ago, have been concussed on other occasions playing rugby (in hindsight - undiagnosed at the time) and been hit over the head with a glass bottle in a bar "fight" resulting in a loss of consciousness (was really just attacked), and still get occasional issues from too much screen time mainly or just having too much stimulation.

Believe me, you do not want to put your recovery back as it took me around one year or so to get back to full time hours at work, and I'd still sometimes get massive fatigue where all I felt like doing is lying in bed all day. Took me 4 years from concussion day to attempt another ironman.

So...yeah, just be very careful and listen to your brain. It is very good at telling you when it has had enough!

First, I am no doctor and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but will ask have you had a CT Scan/MRI/seen a Neurologist? Second, google Natasha Richardson, then ask yourself if your IM is really worth the risk.

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Thank you all for the responses, I did have 2 cat scans so far both were fine. I have a follow up next week and am going to take it day by day till then, maybe some very light stationary spinning if I'm up to it. Just gotta roll with the punches

I had a relatively small bike crash at the end of last month. Slow moving accident, but my head hit the concrete moderately hard. No major marks or cracks in the helmet. Finished the 10k run (wreck was right before transition), but had to run/walk it. I chalked that up to the road rash and bruising. Spoke to an emt who was near to see if continuing was a bad idea. He said if I wasn't feeling good dizzy or nauseous, just take it easy. I had no symptoms other than some head pain.

Then came the next week. I would wake up fine, but after staring at a computer screen, headaches would kick in by 10 a.m. . Lasted over a week. I think I just had a mild concussion. Had all the post injury symptoms. Definitely didn't feel up to training. And when the headaches subsided, it took a while for me to get back to the intensity. It was well over 2 weeks before I felt like myself again in regards to the effort I could sustain.

i'd say try not to get punched too often either....

more seriously, how bad was it and how do you feel now?
i haven't had one. did help Mrs. Bob Loblaw through one, and it was rough. She really had to take it easy, but it's hard to take it easy, so you have to try to, which means you're putting too much effort in.... just an impossible protocol.

she had all the symptoms - memory loss of the incident and its aftermath, vomitted, headaches, etc.

if you've been fine and symptom free that's one thing. but if you're still going through a lot of stuff... IM is a horrible idea. starting with the possibilty of getting hit/kicked in the head on the swim. if you're like my wife, the concussion has turned your head into a magnet for all sorts of knocks and pings.

I found through my hockey days & this is my opinion, the predominant issues are inflammation from injury and blood flow control. Whiplash, which is a sprained neck and any injured tissue around the head, face etc. will tend to shutdown blood flow to your head - causing symptoms. Heat is a bad thing for a concussion because if the body (mistakenly) senses the head is too hot, it will reduce blood flow. This is what causes sickness and could result in passing out. Cool your head, blood flow seems to increase.

It's like a thermo-regulated pressure control system. And the inflammation or injury screws it all up.

I would say the 2 weeks is pretty standard and about right for a mild head/neck twister typical for a hockey player for example.

Depends on your age too, how quickly things return to normal. IM is a long race, you need to check with the docs on that.

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i had a crash last summer. went for a ride and woke up in a hospital.
i was fortunate that i had some physical injuries as well as a concussion. I say fortunately because the physical stuff made me back off training and racing etc. ( it was 4 weeks prior to IMC) .The concussion has taken nearly a year to resolve and I am certain that I would have pushed it had I been physically able and would have made the head injury worse.

My point is take every bit of that two weeks super easy. You cannot see what is going on in your brain and it needs to recover. I would also throw in the towel on the race. An IM is hard on all parts of your body including your noggin.

as someone else said as well...dont risk a second concussion.

good luck on the recovery.

x2 on this guy's post. I had a concussion last August after a seemingly benign crash. You are the worst judge of your own recovery. I thought "oh, no big, I'll be fine". I took a solid 3 days off of even going to work and in retrospect should have taken much more. Your brain needs time to heal. And that isn't just time off the bike. It's time with you at home, on the couch with the lights off chilling doing nothing. Not watching TV, not texting your pals, just letting your brain rest. It's tough when your body says go go go and your head isn't quite with it. I was lucky to come out of mine with no lasting side effects. But especially during the recovery time I would notice the little things - having to pause while making a thought, misspelling words in an email, getting tongue-tied a little too easily. You want that stuff to go away. Even 3 weeks out I still had a few niggling symptoms.

Take it easy, you only get one brain. As someone who has been through this and who knows several folks with TBI's do. not. fuck. around. with. this.

EDIT - to the OP, a CT scan is not a good go/no go for your concussion recovery. The CT scan can show if you have brain swelling (very bad) but you can have a completely normal CT and still have a concussion. This was the case for me.

Totaled my bike, got a concussion, traumatic hip bursitis back in late March. Take your time to heal. It's been a few months and I still get a headache after watching an action movie and scrolling on the computer too much. As far as workouts go, however, take the 2 weeks at a minimum of rest. Re-crashing would be awful. A concussion can occur more easily after you've had one. Your concentration and reflexes are not as sharp during those early weeks. Ask your doc about the "vitamin cocktail" that is helpful for concussions. It may/may not help you but it certainly cannot hurt. Do you just want to finish the Ironman Lake Placid or set a PR? If it's just to finish-fine. But the chances of a PR could be slim, and you could be pushing yourself too much.

Concussions are nothing to be trifled with. I have had several over the course of my life and always erred on the side of caution when it came to resuming physical activity. I think it held me in good stead as every time when I finally did return to normal activities I felt fine with no ill effects. Concussions impair brain function and thus motor function as well. The best treatment for a concussion is rest because it is a lot easier for one to have another accident when one is doing things while mentally impaired. Anther serious blow to the head right now would be disastrous. Two weeks rest is certainly reasonable, and you won't lose much fitness in that time. The rest may actually help you. Please be cautious - no race is worth permanently harming yourself.

Do not spend too much time on the computer reading/posting on ST ;) At this point you still need to limit screen time. Get through the first week-two weeks and then start looking forward. With the concussion x2 you need to be really careful!

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6 concussions here, 3 severe. Knowing what I know about head injuries and ironman races, I would tell you no participation. You only have one brain, and without that functioning correctly you have nothing. There will be plenty of Ironman races in the future. Good luck.

I'm 10 months dealing with post concussion syndrome. Take it easy... You may not PR Lake placid but long term health is more important. If he says 2 weeks take two weeks.... Light spins on the bike... Don't push big watts. Keep heart rate down.. This really sucks. But there are more important things. I wished I was better. Depression, headaches, continual foggy, memory issues... Resting lets your brain recover... Like having a big bruise In Your quad... Let it recover.
Jeff

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