I t p a y s t o b e A B M P C e r t i f i e d : w w w. a b m p . c o m / g o / c e r t i f i e d c e n t r a l 43
I hope it's clear that massage has much to offer people
who live with PCS—those who are affected directly,
and those who love and care for PCS patients. Research
shows that massage can make substantial changes in
anxiety, depression, headaches, stress perception, and several
other major PCS symptoms. While we don't have an evidence
base specifically for PCS at this time, perhaps some readers
of this article will now feel compelled to tell their stories in
the form of case reports. It's not just massage therapists who
need to know if massage can help—it's also the PCS patients
and their loved ones who are eager for our work.
Author note: Special thanks to Jay and Jessica Fraga of The Knockout
Project, and to the several massage therapists who shared their
experiences and their PCS "dos and don'ts" with me for this article.
Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist, a writer, and
an NCTMB-approved continuing education provider. She wrote
A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology (Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins, 2013), now in its fifth edition, which is used in massage
schools worldwide. Werner is available at www.ruthwerner.com or
wernerworkshops@ruthwerner.com.
Resources
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "Post-
Concussive Syndrome." Accessed July 2014.
Available at www.bit.ly/1oM4sl9.
Chernik, Y. "Concussion and Post-Concussion Syndrome."
Accessed July 2014. Available at
www.massagetherapycanada.com/content/view/1982/62.
Guskiewicz, K. et al. "National Athletic Trainers
Association Position Statement: Management of
Sport Related Concussion." Journal of Athletic
Training 39, no. 3 (2004): 280–297.
Legome, E. "Postconcussive Syndrome." Accessed July 2014.
Available at
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/828904-overview.
Military Advantage. "Traumatic Brain Injury Overview."
Accessed July 2014. Available at www.military.com/benefits/
veterans-health-care/traumatic-brain-injury-overview.html.
Mohney, G. "First Soccer Player Diagnosed with CTE
Brings Up Sport's Risks." Accessed July 2014. Available
at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/soccer-player-
diagnosed-cte-brings-sports-risks/story?id=22697477.
Nordqvist, J. "Concussions Cause Long-Term Effects Lasting
Decades." Accessed July 2014. Available at
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256518.php.
Scherer, M. and M. Schubert. "Traumatic Brain Injury and
Vestibular Pathology as a Comorbidity After Blast Exposure."
American Physical Therapy Association. Accessed July 2014.
Available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628578.
Science Daily. "Football: Concussions, Years of Play Related to
Brain Differences, Especially in Areas Linked To Memory."
Accessed July 2014. Available at www.sciencedaily.
com/releases/2014/05/140513161722.htm.
Singh, R. et al. "Relationship of Collegiate Football
Experience and Concussion With Hippocampal Volume
and Cognitive Outcomes." The Journal of the American
Medical Association 311, no. 18 (2014): 1,883–8.
Accessed July 2014. Available at http://jama.jamanetwork.
com/article.aspx?articleid=1869211#Abstract.
The Knockout Project. Accessed July 2014.
Available at www.theknockoutproject.org.
US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. "Concussion."
Accessed July 2014. Available at
www.cdc.gov/concussion/signs_symptoms.html.
"Every day, I wake up with a knot in my shoulders. I'm stressed
out before I even leave my bed.
My husband has PCS: postconcussion syndrome. He has
had 10 concussions (on record: I'm pretty sure it's many more
than that). He struggles every single day just to go to work. So
why should I complain about anything? He has to fight constant
migraines, memory problems, nausea, dizziness, blurred vision,
spots in his vision, overstimulation from simple sounds and
environments, and noise sensitivity. He fights depression that he
can't control. He has mood swings and outbursts of anger that
are so out of character and at times unsettling. He puts on a
brave face and fights through every single day.
So, who am I to complain? What kind of person am I for
feeling overworked, tired, and resentful?"
Jessica Fraga, The Knockout Project
