ABSTRACT

There are a number of factors that must be considered when one clinically evaluates and treats a patient with a mild or minor traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and pain. The literature is rife with overbroad terminology that when dissected makes little sense. Words are used synonymously when they most probably should not be. Most specifically, in many papers, MTBI is felt to be the same as the postconcussive syndrome. When looking at the etiology of specific problems encountered by these patients, it appears to this author that “lumping,” instead of looking more specifically at both nomenclature and what each term entails, and

why

is extremely important. Therefore, prior to looking at MTBI, specifically its pathophysiology and how that affects “pain,” we look at the postconcussion syndrome (PCS).