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“The Crash Is Over, but Why Don’t I Feel Like Myself?”

After a car accident, the repairs may be finished and life may seem to have moved on—but dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, poor sleep, or trouble concentrating can linger. In this episode of the Neurocollective Podcast, May Bagnell and Doc Bagnell discuss how concussion-related and emotional effects may continue after an automobile accident, and why understanding the recovery process can help people find a way forward.

They answer common questions about concussions and whiplash, delayed symptoms, normal scans, functional changes, and the challenges of rebuilding confidence after an injury.

In this episode

• 0:12 — Why symptoms can linger after the accident is over
• 2:40 — Can you have a concussion without hitting your head?
• 3:32 — Why a “minor” crash or limited vehicle damage doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story
• 6:22 — Why symptoms may appear hours or days later
• 8:36 — How symptoms can persist even when a CT scan looks normal
• 11:36 — Why understanding possible recovery changes can help people feel more prepared
• 14:32 — How whiplash and concussion can occur together, and why their symptoms may overlap
• 18:48 — The emotional side of recovery and the “mindset of healing”
• 20:08 — Rebuilding confidence through realistic expectations and noticing progress
• 23:58 — How the brain’s response to safety and threat can affect recovery
• 29:31 — What to consider when previous treatments haven’t helped
• 31:15 — Where to find the Brain Localization Survey and learn about a virtual call

Questions answered

Can a car accident cause a concussion without a direct hit to the head?

Yes. The hosts explain that rapid acceleration and deceleration can move the body, head, and brain, even when the head hasn’t struck an object.

Why might someone feel okay at first and develop symptoms later?

The episode discusses how the body’s stress response after a crash may mask symptoms initially, while inflammation can take time to develop. Symptoms may become noticeable hours or days later.

Can a CT scan look normal while someone still feels unwell?

A CT scan helps assess structural changes, but the hosts distinguish that from how someone is functioning. They discuss dizziness, exhaustion, balance issues, and difficulty concentrating as concerns that may need functional assessment.

Can whiplash and concussion happen at the same time?

Yes. The episode explains that symptoms can overlap, and that the circumstances of the accident, the person’s symptoms, and an examination can help assess what may be contributing.

How can someone rebuild confidence during recovery?

The hosts discuss setting realistic expectations, taking gradual steps back toward activities, and asking “How am I progressing?” rather than focusing only on how someone feels in a difficult moment.

Resources mentioned

The hosts mention assessments on the Bagnell Brain Center website, including the Brain Localization Survey in the patient center, and a virtual call for people seeking more information.

The episode is educational and does not replace an individual evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional.

For more information, visit us at www.bagnellbraincenter.com.

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"The Game Can Wait: Protecting a Young Athlete's Brain"

The championship game is on the line and your child takes a hard hit. They say they're fine, but something seems off. In this installment of the Concussion Conversations series, Doc Bagnell and May Bagnell answer six frequently asked questions about sports concussions in young athletes. They cover how to spot a concussion, when it's safe to return to play, and how parents and coaches can protect athletes without taking away their love of the sport.

Fun fact: top youth sports for concussion
Doc cites CDC data for the five sports with the highest youth concussion rates:

1. Boys' tackle football
2. Girls' soccer (higher than boys)
3. Boys' lacrosse
4. Boys' ice hockey
5. Boys' wrestling

Cheerleading also ranks in the top ten. He recommends the CDC's Heads Up concussion program for parents and physicians.

Topics covered

• 0:17: Your child takes a hit in the championship game. What would you do?
• 2:08: The top sports for youth concussions
• 4:49: Q1. Can an athlete have a concussion without losing consciousness?
• 7:54: Q2. What is happening inside the brain during a sports concussion? This includes the jello-in-a-bowl analogy, shearing of fine nerve fibers, neuroinflammation, and why normal CT or MRI scans can still miss functional problems.
• 12:07: The four symptom domains: physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep, and gastrointestinal
• 13:15: Q3. Why is returning to play too soon so serious? This covers lost peripheral vision, second impact risk, subtle signs like unequal pupils, and prolonged recovery.
• 19:17: Q4. When is an athlete truly ready to return? Symptoms, balance, and eye-tracking tests are the key checks. Returning to schoolwork fully functioning is another sign. The episode also covers the difference between "I feel ready" and objective neurological readiness.
• 23:49: Q5. What if symptoms don't go away after a few weeks? This covers post-concussion syndrome and why mental health matters in recovery.
• 25:57: Q6. How can parents and coaches protect athletes without taking away their love of the sport?

Key takeaways

• You can have a concussion without being knocked out. Symptoms can also show up hours later.
• A concussion can happen without a direct blow to the head. Rapid acceleration or deceleration is enough.
• Don't rely on "I feel fine." An athlete's readiness should be confirmed with objective findings: symptoms, balance, eye tracking, and return to schoolwork.
• Returning too soon raises the risk of a second injury and can prolong recovery.
• Prevention comes through education, proper equipment, and baseline testing before an injury happens.
• Build a team culture where reporting symptoms is seen as responsible, not weak.
• The brain can heal, but it often needs the right care, and waiting it out doesn't always work.
• "No game, championship, or scholarship opportunity should override neurological safety."

Resources and next steps

• CDC Heads Up concussion program
• If you suspect your child has post-concussion symptoms, book a video discovery call with the Bagnell Brain Center of South Florida. They send standardized questionnaires ahead of time.
• Athletic trainers and teams interested in concussion education or baseline testing can reach out to the center.

Sponsor
The Neurocollective Podcast is brought to you by Bagnell Brain Center of South Florida.

Closing line: "Remember, you can heal and we can help."

This episode is for education only and isn't a substitute for medical advice.

#concussion #concussionrecovery #braininjury #sportsconcussions #athlete

For more information, visit us at www.bagnellbraincenter.com.

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Invisible Injury: What Really Happens to the Brain During a Concussion

This episode of the Neurocollective Podcast’s Concussion Conversations explains why concussions are often called the invisible injury and what actually happens inside the skull when the brain is impacted. The conversation with Dr. Bagnell & May Bagnell focuses on how concussion is defined, why symptoms can show up later, and why a normal scan does not necessarily mean normal function. They also cover the brain-gut connection, why energy levels in the brain can drop after injury, and how functional testing can reveal problems that CT and MRI scans miss. The takeaway is practical and hopeful: there are ways to evaluate and support recovery even when symptoms linger.

Key topics

• In this episode, concussion and mild traumatic brain injury are treated as equivalent terms, and “mild” does not mean minor or easy to recover from.
• Doc Bagnell explains that a head impact can count as a concussive force even if the person does not lose consciousness or vomit.
• A concussion becomes more likely when symptoms like dizziness, headache, or eye tracking problems appear within minutes to hours after impact and persist for days.
• The brain is described as soft and gelatinous, not rigid, which helps explain how it moves inside the skull during acceleration and deceleration.
• Using a jello model, Doc Bagnell explains shearing, where nerve fibers are stretched or torn during impact.
• Inflammation after concussion can affect cognition, mood, and movement, creating symptoms across multiple domains.
• The brain may enter a low energy state after injury, similar to a phone switching into power-saving mode, in order to conserve resources for healing.
• The conversation highlights gut disruption after concussion and the brain gut connection, including the shared embryologic origin of the gut and brain.
• Symptoms can appear later because compensation hides deficits at first, especially when a person returns to walking, thinking, school, or work.
• CT and MRI scans can show bleeds or masses, but they do not measure functional issues like balance, eye tracking, vestibular function, or brain energy.
• Functional testing such as QEEG, balance testing, vestibular testing, and autonomic evaluation can help explain lingering symptoms when imaging looks normal.
• The episode closes with a reminder that age does not rule out improvement, and that functional optimization can still be pursued at any stage of life.

Timestamps

(00:00) Introducing Concussion Conversations and the invisible injury
(01:47) What makes an injury a concussion
(02:51) Head impacts that may still count even without obvious trauma
(03:20) When symptoms make concussion more likely
(05:58) Why loss of consciousness is not required
(06:45) What happens inside the skull during impact
(07:21) Brain dissection and the difference between fixed and unfixed brains
(09:24) The jello model of brain movement and shearing
(11:21) How nerve fibers get torn and inflammation begins
(12:40) Why concussion severity depends on force, age, and recovery
(14:16) Gut disruption and the brain gut connection after injury
(17:24) Low brain power on QEEG and why the brain slows down
(20:13) Why the brain conserves energy like a phone in low power mode
(21:00) Why symptoms may show up later at home, school, or work
(24:40) Everyday tasks that become harder after concussion
(25:58) What CT and MRI can and cannot tell you
(27:20) Hope after a normal scan and persistent symptoms
(28:47) Why brain health and balance matter at every age
(30:08) Brain localization map and patient resources
(31:12) Closing thoughts and encouragement to heal

#bagnellbraincenter #concussion #braininjury #neuroscience #mTBI

For more information, visit us at www.bagnellbraincenter.com.

You CAN Heal! We CAN Help!!