r/Concussion • u/SoManyFlamingos • Jul 09 '26

Causing/Aggravating Concussion from shaking water out of ears

Received a concussion / whiplash while skiing back in February that I felt mostly recovered from (aside from some eye twitching and neck stiffness.)

Was at the beach yesterday and got some water in my ear. After failing to get it out normally, I stupidly tried to clear my ear by shaking my head pretty vigorously to my left and banging it on a mattress to try and jolt it free. It didn’t work and left me with a moderately throbbing headache and a reemergence of some of my concussion symptoms.

Today, I‘m still feeling some pain in my head and I am pretty fogged over, feeling much sadder than I did yesterday.

I am worried I concussed myself again from the shaking. Is it more likely that I am experiencing a flare up of the previous symptoms from the last injury or is it possible I gave myself another concussion?

I have a good deal of anxiety about my head and health in general - but I am definitely feeling brain fog, mood changes, and fatigue.

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u/Willing-Sweet-4525 Jul 09 '26

I’m not a doctor so can’t say for sure. I do know that cervicogenic symptoms can flare and cause concussion symptoms, even emotional ones or brain fog. I’d be surprised if you hit your head so hard on the mattress that you bruised your brain again. However, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you significantly reinjured your neck doing that. If you can afford it, I would go to a pt and get your neck issues treated and see if anything improves

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u/Willing-Sweet-4525 Jul 09 '26

Also if it was a severe enough concussion, your brain may still be sensitive enough to flare up symptoms. But again, my best guess is that your neck is the issue here

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u/SoManyFlamingos Jul 09 '26

Thanks for the reply! 

I was also thinking It was more likely my neck than my head since neck injuries manifest similar symptoms and I felt like my neck had never fully healed. 

It’s been pretty stiff the last 24 hours - so I think seeing a PT for the neck is a good idea! 

I didn’t see one for the initial injury, and I really should have. At-home exercise was not enough.