Vertigo one year post-concussion

Posted by mrhodes @mrhodes, Apr 2, 2023

I'm about a year post-concussion (with tinnitus, vertigo, and nausea being significant symptoms early on) and noticing that when yoga classes have a lot of inverted poses (handstand, headstand, etc.), I have vertigo afterward (and again). Is it possible this is connected with the concussion I had a year ago?

Thank you!

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stevegrinstead | @stevegrinstead | Apr 3, 2023

Please check for SS.

mrhodes | @mrhodes | Apr 4, 2023

In reply to @stevegrinstead "Please check for SS." + (show)

I'm going to ask a naive question: what's SS?

kygirl58 | @kygirl58 | Apr 5, 2023

SS is Superficial Siderosis. A neurodegenerative condition usually caused from a brain bleed or spinal fluid leak. Diagnosed by MRI… if you are lucky enough to find a doctor capable of recognizing it. Only around 300 or so known cases in USA. Dr Neeraj Kumar at Mayo/Rochester is a specialist for this condition.

mrhodes | @mrhodes | Apr 8, 2023

In reply to @kygirl58 "SS is Superficial Siderosis. A neurodegenerative condition usually caused from a brain bleed or spinal fluid..." + (show)

Oh wow, okay. So a concussion might cause a brain bleed or spinal fluid leak (which could go undetected without an MRI and physician who's looking for this) that might result in SS and symptom of vertigo a year post-concussion?

mrhodes | @mrhodes | Apr 8, 2023

In reply to @mrhodes "Oh wow, okay. So a concussion might cause a brain bleed or spinal fluid leak (which..." + (show)

I just looked it up and it sounds like an extremely rare condition. My only symptom is vertigo after inverted yoga poses. Is this enough to prompt a neurologist to look for something so rare?

kygirl58 | @kygirl58 | Apr 8, 2023

Certainly a concussion could cause a brain bleed or spinal/cranial leak. It’s probably not the first thing they would look for after a concussion though. It usually takes years for symptoms from SS to show up, it’s a very slow progressing disease. On the other hand, a cranial or spinal leak would show up immediately.
I think they would look at your concussion as a reason for your symptoms. Seems like most everything concerning the head/brain is hard to diagnose and it’s usually a matter of ruling things out. I for sure would try to see a neurologist and get an opinion and perhaps some tests done.

Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Apr 9, 2023

@mrhodes - Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!
Did you have a severe concussion where you had to be hospitalized?
Sometimes there could be a significant time delay in symptoms after a concussion.
However, the vertigo, nausea and tinnitus could also be a separate new disorder - such as an inner ear problem.
I agree that you should find a good neurologist to check you. Try to find one associated with a major university hospital.

mrhodes | @mrhodes | Apr 9, 2023

I wasn't hospitalized by the ER doc I saw wasn't great. I asked her if I could drive myself home and she said "Sure!" even though I couldn't stand up and kept losing a sense of where I was. I couldn't drive for at least two weeks, and had vertigo, nausea, tinnitus, and couldn't use a computer for a few weeks. They did a CT scan in the ER and sent me home.
Might as well schedule a neurological follow-up just to make sure.
Thanks for your response!