Between 1.6 and 3.8 million concussions occur every year in the United States. It is not uncommon for symptoms such as head and body pain, fatigue, brain fog and other cognitive effects or personality changes to linger for months, if not years. Even worse, effects can be delayed by many years.

According to Dr. David Sullivan, of Keystone Chiropractic Neurology, in Mechanicsburg, some patients experience these symptoms based partly on the inflammation process that ensues after a brain injury. The immune cells that reside in brain tissue may become activated to repair damage, but unlike the rest of the body, the inflammatory process which starts in the brain is not as readily resolved as inflammation that occurs elsewhere. Sullivan says this can potentially lead to a state of chronic neuro-inflammation, which leads to other neurochemical changes and ultimately manifests as symptoms.

If symptoms persist for longer than expected, if they have not resolved completely in a few months, or if other mystery illnesses develop years later, he recommends investigating the potential of neuro-inflammation as the underlying cause. In many cases, non-pharmaceutical interventions can be utilized to help calm the effects of chronic brain inflammation.

“As science and medicine continue to study the effects of brain injuries and develop more ways of identifying their severity, we are still coping with a silent epidemic for many who have suffered concussions,” he states.

Location: 1001 S. Market St., Ste. B, Mechanicsburg. Call 717-697-0589 or visit KeystoneChiropracticNeurology.com.