History Of Head Injury, TMJ And Spine Injury. What Could Be The Reason For Headaches, Fatigue And Sleep Dysfunction?

Posted on Sat, 2 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 2 Nov 2013 Answered on

Fri, 22 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I had a head injury with concussion 2 years ago and since then have been suffering with daily headaches, cognitive issues, a sensitivity to pain, sensory, sleep dysfunction, tingling/weakness in arms/hands and a progressive extreme fatigue. I was treated for TMJ and cspine injuries caused by the injury as well. My blood work that just came back from last week shows Vitamin D at 17 and ESR at 38. What could be causing this fatigue, lack of sleep and other symptoms?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Chronic fatigue syndrome perhaps... Detailed Answer: Hi, To be XXXXXXX it is difficult to name the exact cause when there are multiple and chronic symptoms without a close physical exam and relevant investigations. However the network of symptoms described by you closely mimic chronic fatigue syndrome. Off course this is a condition that should be confirmed after we exclude all other possible reasons. Concussion symptoms rarely last for more than 6 months. It is definitely less likely to be the cause of all the listed symptoms. If I were to be your treating doctor, I would order tests to rule out metabolic condition - diabetes, thyroid disorder, anemia and co-existing vitamin deficiency especially vitamin b12 deficiency. Though I do not mean to upset you, but I would also consider the possibility of depression as my next possibility. Vitamin D at 17 is marginally low. It may be related to nutritional deficiency (if you have not been eating well) or may be related to perimenopause. I would start you on vitamin D supplements - granules once a week for 4 weeks and repeat the test after a month. I wouldn't want to comment about ESR as it is a non specific marker. In short, it is possible that your symptoms could be due to chronic fatigue syndrome. Visit your physician to exclude other possibilities as described above. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need clarifications. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Prasad J (1 hour later)

Ok, thank you for the information. Just wondering if the low vitamin D be caused by the head injury? I t was never low until then.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: No, head injury is unrelated to vitamin D low.. Detailed Answer: Hi, Concussion is in no way linked to low vitamin D level. As I described in my previous reply low level is due to vitamin deficiency, lack of sun exposure and to some extent related to perimenopausal age. It can be corrected without any concerns. Hope this helps. Best Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar