Cindy Henderson, 74, of Seattle, is no stranger to head injuries. This busy and active retired hospital administrator sustained her first concussion after a hiking fall in 2015. She had a second one in 2019 when her car trunk hit her head while she was unloading photography equipment.
A tangle with a trash can in June 2023 led to her third and most recent concussion. Cindy was pruning her garden and had a large plastic trash bin nearby for her cuttings. While moving it, the lid flipped up, causing her to trip, hit her head, and fall into the trash can.
Fortunately, she didn’t lose consciousness and could climb out and call for help. “Initially, I felt like I couldn’t move, but I thought, there is no way I’m going to be found at the bottom of a garbage can,” Cindy laughs, although she admits it wasn't funny at the time.
A visit to the emergency department ruled out internal bleeding, but she did need staples in her scalp. She also started experiencing concussion symptoms, like sensitivity to light and sound, headaches, and dizziness, which she recognized from her prior concussions.
Upon arriving at home, Cindy started following her previous concussion protocol, which included wearing sunglasses and earplugs and resting as much as possible. She also had to cut back on physical activity — which for her includes hiking, golf, and volunteering — and get more sleep. Her local doctor told her she would likely feel like herself again in three to five months.
Months with No Improvement
That strategy worked for her previous concussions, but this time seemed different. “I wasn’t getting better," she says. “I got to the point where I didn’t want to go out or be around people anymore, and that’s not my personality.”
Cindy was unable to volunteer, play bridge, or participate in her usual social activities because the noise and stimulation were too much.
Her concussion was taking a toll emotionally as well as physically. She knew she needed a second opinion and possibly a different treatment strategy. A close friend heard of Dr. Michael “Micky” Collins and the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program and urged her to schedule an appointment.
2,500 Short Miles to Recovery
The UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program is respected globally for its research and state-of-the-art concussion testing and treatment. Its team of specialists treats high school, college, and professional athletes from across the globe.
Fortunately for Cindy and thousands of others, the team also works with nonathletes of all ages from across the U.S. and around the world.
Cindy was more than ready to get her life back, so accompanied by her husband, she flew from Seattle to Pittsburgh in October 2023 for a full-day evaluation. During that visit, she met with Dr. Collins and other team members, including a psychiatrist, a vestibular therapist, and an exercise therapist.
With out-of-town visits, all evaluations and treatment plans are completed in one day. “They make it so smooth for anyone coming from out of state,” says Cindy. “Everything from the scheduling to the check-in process to the clinical appointments was seamless and beyond my expectations. I was so impressed.”
She returned home the next day with a detailed treatment plan — and hope.
Retraining Her Brain
Concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries. There are six different subtypes of concussion, classified by symptoms. These symptoms can range from mood changes and headaches to dizziness and trouble concentrating or completing visual tasks.
Each concussion is different. People often experience overlapping symptoms, so concussion recovery requires a personalized treatment approach. Fortunately, they're treatable with an active approach that forces the brain to readapt to stimuli.
During her consult with Dr. Collins, Cindy learned that shielding her eyes and ears from light and noise and avoiding crowds and social activities was actually inhibiting her recovery. She was, in effect, teaching her brain that her everyday social, active life was harmful.
Cindy recalls, “Dr. Collins looked at me and said — I can help you, but you have to agree to do the [therapy to retrain your brain]. He told me if something makes me uncomfortable, run to it.”
Highly motivated, Cindy immediately started the six-day-a-week therapy program her team provided. It included gym exercises and vestibular therapy to help balance her eye and head movements. She says the vestibular exercises were especially helpful.
Cindy started to improve quickly with the personalized treatment plan — within about three weeks, she says. She received ongoing support from her clinicians via telehealth and a patient portal, which she emphasizes is convenient for out-of-town patients. She flew back to Pittsburgh for a reevaluation in December, and the team made adjustments to her treatment plan based on her progress.
She was diligent about her therapy, gradually returning to the life she loved.
“Then, after about three and a half months, I was busy and golfing a lot, and I slacked off on the therapy,” she says. I stopped because [I couldn’t fit everything into] my schedule, and that set me back.”
With support from her clinical team and encouragement from a trainer at her gym, she got back on track. She found a happy medium between her concussion therapy and her active lifestyle. Cindy's progress continued, and she was discharged from the program in May 2024.
Light in Her Eyes
Cindy says it took nearly nine months to feel entirely like her old self again. She now believes she never completely recovered from her previous concussions because, with her old treatment, she was running away from her symptoms instead of working through them.
“I can’t thank him enough,” Cindy says with joyful tears in her eyes. “Dr. Collins and his team have gotten me back to where I was years ago.”
Today, she’s busier than ever, golfing, hiking, traveling, and volunteering. She recently agreed to serve as chairperson for a local art show, which she feels is a significant accomplishment. But the thing she appreciates most is hearing her closest friend tell her, “The lights are finally back on!” referring to her eyes, which are once again focused, engaged, and full of life.
