Post-concussion Syndrome - Causes

Causes

The question of the cause or causes of PCS and PPCS has been heavily debated for many years. It is not known to exactly what degree the symptoms are due to organic factors, such as microscopic damage to the brain, and to other factors, such as psychological ones. The subjectivity of the complaints complicates assessment and makes it difficult to determine whether symptoms are being exaggerated or feigned.

It is possible that some post-concussion symptoms are due to physical causes while others are psychological. One hypothesis holds that physiological factors are responsible for early symptoms that occur after mild head trauma, whereas symptoms that occur later are due to psychological factors.

While the cause of symptoms occurring shortly after head trauma is likely to be physiological, it is less clear whether PPCS has an organic basis, and nonorganic factors are likely to be involved in symptoms that last longer than three months. PPCS may be caused by physiological, psychological, or psychosocial factors, chronic pain, or an interaction of some or all of these. The majority of experts believe that PPCS results from a mix of factors, including preexisting psychological factors, and those directly relating to the physical injury.