“The CDC estimates that about 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur every year. Concussions are not limited to athletic injuries however, with millions of concussions resulting every year from falls, auto accidents, and other trauma. Concussion symptoms vary from case to case including the following:
Symptoms of a Concussion:
- loss of consciousness
- headache, which may range in intensity from mild to severe
- poor memory or concentration
- sensitivity to noise, light, or both
- dizziness or vertigo
- blurred vision
- sudden mood changes
- nausea or vomiting
- poor balance
- drowsiness
- fatigue
- reduced hearing
- trouble sleeping
Do I Need to “Black Out” In Order to Have a Concussion?
Concussions do not require you to “black out” and in fact, 81% to 92% of concussions involve no loss of consciousness at all. If you have a concussion your symptoms may appear at the time of injury, or even several days after. Due to these varying symptoms, it is estimated that about 50% of all concussions are unreported.
It is imperative to properly heal from a concussion before returning to activity. Those that return to activity too soon may experience long-term effects including headaches, dizziness, attention problems, memory loss, mental illness. In rare cases, a second injury to the brain whilst healing from a concussion may result in brain swelling, permanent brain damage, and even death.
How to recover from a concussion:
As sports medicine advances, we are finding out that rest is not always the best. While rest is useful in treatment, research has shown that complete rest within treatment can lead to worse outcomes for certain injuries.
New studies are suggesting that aerobic exercise training can be utilized in treatment to speed up brain health and healing. However, too much physical exertion can have an adverse effect on healing as well. Ultimately, the best recovery plans are a unique mix of rest and training that takes into account your specific injury.
FX Physical Therapy Concussion Therapy
FX Physical Therapy’s Concussion Program is designed to help those suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) to return to activity FASTER, SAFER, and BETTER
You will spend your time 1-on-1 with an expert Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT); no technicians, no assistants, and no other patients taking your DPTs attention away from your care. During your concussion treatment, you will receive:
- Detailed evaluation of your cervical spine, thoracic spine, and temporomandibular joint for potential sources of musculoskeletal dysfunction as well as examination of your vestibular and oculomotor function in order to identify potential subtle impairments that are crucial to healing and often missed upon diagnosis of concussion.
- Symptom-guided testing including: exertional tolerance testing, mobility performance testing, as well as orthostatic hypotension/autonomic dysfunction testing.
- Individualized care and testing; creating unique assessments personalized to your condition, allowing you to achieve maximum comfort and safety while accurately determining the soonest date you can return to normal activity
- Wholistic approach to care including examination of any potential psychological and sociological factors that may significantly influence your recovery
- Collaborative care; your therapist works directly with you and your care team to ensure open communication as well as proper understanding of your treatment plan, goals, and outcomes.
Book your appointment today and find out how we are “Built to Make You Better”
These are my sources for statistics mentioned above 😀 (I will include them in the page!). I know we don’t normally include so much information on our treatment services, but many other concussion programs focus on educating individuals on why its important to have PT for a concussion, as I feel as it is not well known that PT helps with concussions.
Harmon, Kimberly G., et al. “American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Position Statement.” Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, vol. 23, no. 1, 2013, pp. 1–18., doi:10.1097/jsm.0b013e31827f5f93.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Report to Congress: The Management of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. Atlanta, GA.
Leddy, John J. MD, FACSM, FACP1; Haider, Mohammad N. MD1; Ellis, Michael MD, FRCSC2; Willer, Barry S. PhD3 Exercise is Medicine for Concussion, Current Sports Medicine Reports: August 2018 – Volume 17 – Issue 8 – p 262-270 doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000505
