Recovering from fall has taken a while (+video)

HEALING: Kelly Shrimpton is healing her brain after a bike crash eight months ago. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Despite no outward signs, Kelly Shrimpton's brain is still recovering from a bike crash eight months after it happened.

Now she wants others to know more about concussion and how healing your brain is different for everyone.

Ms Shrimpton fell off her bike in December, on "Mad If You Don't" - a track in the forest she had ridden far too many times to remember. She was with friends but no one saw the fall.

"I remember nothing of that day, I only know what other people have told me," Ms Shrimpton said.

"I've no idea what happened but my helmet had a big dent in it like I'd been hit by a baseball bat. I had really sore ribs, which at the time was the most apparent thing."

Her recovery has been "frustrating" at times and to help document her journey and share her experiences she has set up Healing My Brain on Facebook.

On the page she shares how her recovery is going, what she has been able to do and how she is feeling.

In 2013, she became known for riding 31km a day for 31 days to raise money for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer NZ in memory of her late partner Nick Bolton.

"Because I found it useful talking to people who have been through something similar to what I'm experiencing, it's to be expected that it might be useful for someone else."

After her crash she was kept at Lakes PrimeCare for several hours, where she repeatedly asked the same questions. She was sent home with her mum with a leaflet that said she would be all good within 10 to 14 days.

After a week she tried to return to work for two hours a day, but could not concentrate and found she was making simple mistakes.

"When they said 10 to 14 days I thought that was good. That was my expectation. It's frustrating. It's hard because you feel like you have to find a way to get better. If you have a problem you try to fix it."

The only way to fix the lasting effects of the concussion was to rest.

Among the activities she does to help heal her brain are daily walks, journaling, drawing, colouring in, photography and painting - "getting back in touch with my creative side".

For treatment she has network spinal analysis, a gentle form of chiropractic and craniosacral therapy, as well as counselling.

"That has been super-useful for accepting some of the challenges and changes and making the most of the opportunity to stop and evaluate life.

"In some ways I feel like hitting my head has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

Kelly's Facebook page can be found here.