Physical therapist using eye-tracking goggles to assess a patient's vestibular and ocular-motor function during a concussion evaluation

Concussion Treatment in Maryland

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a blow, jolt, or sudden movement of the head. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that sports and recreation account for 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions in the United States each year, and falls, motor vehicle collisions, and other trauma cause many more. Most people do better easing back into daily activities sooner, under guidance, rather than waiting until every symptom is resolved.

At FX Physical Therapy, our Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPTs) provide concussion treatment across Maryland, checking your neck, balance, and eye movements, and how your symptoms respond to activity to create a plan based on your symptoms, daily routine, and goals.

Dealing with dizziness or vertigo without a head injury? See our Vestibular & Balance Care below. 

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In-network with major insurers · No physician referral required in Maryland*

Do I Have a Concussion?

Concussion symptoms can look different from person to person. You do not have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Common symptoms include:

  • Headache, ranging from mild to severe
  • Poor memory or concentration
  • Sensitivity to noise, light, or both
  • Dizziness or vertigo
  • Sudden mood changes
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Poor balance
  • Drowsiness or fatigue
  • Reduced hearing
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Blurred vision
Physical therapist examining a patient's head and neck during a concussion and vestibular assessment

If you or someone else develops symptoms after a hit to the head, a fall, a car crash, or a hard jolt to the body, contact a healthcare provider for an evaluation. This is especially important before returning to sports, driving, school, work, or other demanding activities.

Why Rest Alone Isn’t Enough

Rest is important immediately after a concussion, but rest doesn’t mean total inactivity. Most concussion experts recommend around 24 to 48 hours of relative rest, which can include light activities of daily living, such as preparing a meal, doing light chores, going for a short walk, or spending time with family and friends, as long as those activities don’t increase your symptoms. Staying completely inactive beyond that window can actually slow recovery. Most people do better easing back into activity sooner, under guidance, rather than waiting until every symptom is fully resolved. 

A recent study found that people who started physical therapy earlier after a concussion improved symptoms more quickly and showed better improvement in balance than those who started later. The right treatment plan depends on your symptoms and how you are recovering. See the 2025 physical therapy study. 

The key is finding the right amount of activity for you. Doing too much too soon can increase symptoms. Avoiding activity for too long can also make it harder to return to normal routines. Your FXPT physical therapist helps you move forward at a pace that is safe and manageable.

Returning to sports, work, or other strenuous activities before you have recovered can lead to longer-lasting headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and concentration problems. A second head injury before the first has healed can be serious. A structured recovery plan helps you progress without guessing when to push forward or pull back.

Concussion Treatment at FX Physical Therapy

At FX Physical Therapy, you work 1-on-1 with a Doctor of Physical Therapy during your evaluation and treatment visits. Throughout your care, the same therapist follows your progress, adjusts your plan as symptoms change, and helps you safely return to school, work, exercise, sports, and everyday life.

A Thorough Evaluation

Your first visit includes a detailed review of your symptoms and an assessment of areas that can affect concussion recovery.

Your therapist may check:

  • Neck and upper-back mobility, which can contribute to headaches, dizziness, and pain after an injury
  • Your jaw, if jaw pain, headaches, or clenching may be involved
  • Balance and inner-ear function
  • How your eyes track, focus, and work together
  • Your movement, posture, and coordination
  • How your symptoms respond to daily activity and exercise
Physical therapist performing a visual tracking test with a patient during a concussion evaluation

Guided Activity Testing

Your therapist may use a monitored exercise or activity test to identify the point at which symptoms begin to increase. This helps us set a safe starting level for activity and gradually build your tolerance over time.

We also look for symptoms that may occur when you stand up, change positions, or become active, including dizziness, lightheadedness, unusual fatigue, or a racing heart.

A Plan Built Around You

No two concussions are exactly alike. Your plan is based on your symptoms, activity level, injury history, and goals.

Whether you are an athlete returning to play, a student trying to get through the school day, or an adult recovering after a fall or car accident, we tailor treatment to what you need to return to normal life.

Communication With Your Care Team

When appropriate, we work with your physician, athletic trainer, school, employer, or other providers involved in your recovery. That helps everyone understand your treatment plan, activity restrictions, and progress.

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Who Treats Concussions at FX Physical Therapy

Danny Ludwig

Danny Ludwig, PT, DPT, NCS, leads concussion, dizziness, and balance care at FX Physical Therapy. He is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy and has advanced training in vestibular rehabilitation.

Dr. Danny’s background includes neurologic and intensive-care physical therapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by outpatient work focused on vertigo, dizziness, and balance disorders. He also contributed to vestibular research and helped develop and teach the Johns Hopkins Clinical Vestibular Competency Course.

This experience is especially relevant for people recovering from concussion. Dizziness, balance issues, headaches, and difficulty with visual motion are common after a head injury and can continue when they are not fully addressed. Dr. Danny works with patients who have straightforward concussions as well as more complex symptoms involving dizziness, vestibular migraine, and persistent postural-perceptual dizziness, also called PPPD.

Vestibular & Balance Care

Dizziness, vertigo, and balance problems can happen with a concussion, but they can also occur on their own. Common causes include inner-ear conditions such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, often called BPPV, vestibular neuritis, and vestibular migraine.

Our vestibular physical therapy program looks at your inner ear, eye movements, balance, and how motion affects your symptoms. Treatment may include:

  • Repositioning maneuvers for BPPV
  • Eye and head-movement exercises to reduce dizziness
  • Balance training
  • Gradual exposure to movements or environments that bring on symptoms

You do not need a head injury to receive vestibular care. If dizziness or vertigo is affecting your day-to-day life, learn how physical therapy can help treat dizziness.

Find a Concussion & Vestibular Treatment Therapist near you

While Dr. Ludwig leads FXPT’s vestibular and concussion program, he isn’t the only provider trained to treat it. FX Physical Therapy has many additional DPTs across our Maryland locations with vestibular, balance, and concussion-specific training. That means you can still get specialized care close to home rather than needing to travel to see any one specific provider.

What to Expect During Recovery

Most people notice improvement within the first few weeks, though recovery time varies with the severity of the injury, age, and history of prior concussions. Your DPT reassesses your symptoms and exertion tolerance regularly, adjusting your program as your tolerance improves, and helps guide the decision about when it’s safe to return to sport, school, or work.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Most people start to feel better within two to four weeks, though recovery varies. Your age, the severity of the injury, prior concussions, and other health factors can all affect the timeline.

Seeking care earlier rather than later, within the first week if possible, is associated with faster symptom improvement. A 2025 trial found that adults who began physical therapy within the first week after a concussion improved faster than those who waited six weeks. See the study.

If symptoms are not improving, or if they are interfering with school, work, exercise, or daily life, a concussion evaluation can help identify what may be slowing your recovery and guide the next steps.
In many cases, yes. The old advice to wake someone every hour after a concussion is not the usual recommendation for a person who has already been evaluated and is medically stable.

However, seek emergency care right away for warning signs such as worsening or severe headache, repeated vomiting, increasing confusion, unusual behavior, weakness or numbness, seizures, difficulty waking up, slurred speech, or loss of consciousness.
No. Maryland allows direct access to physical therapy, so you can schedule a concussion evaluation with FX Physical Therapy without a referral.
FX Physical Therapy is in-network with major insurers. Coverage depends on your specific plan, and our team can help verify your benefits before your first visit.
Return to activity is guided by your symptoms, exertion tolerance testing, and often your physician's or athletic trainer's clearance. Your DPT tracks your progress through each stage and helps determine when it's safe to increase activity.
Physical therapy can still help if symptoms have lasted longer than expected. Ongoing headaches, dizziness, visual discomfort, neck pain, fatigue, or symptoms that increase with activity may have several causes that can be addressed during treatment.

Your therapist evaluates what may be keeping symptoms going, such as neck problems, balance or inner-ear issues, visual-motion sensitivity, or symptoms that flare with activity. Your treatment plan is then built around those findings.
Yes. Vestibular physical therapy can help people with dizziness and vertigo related to inner-ear and balance conditions, including BPPV, vestibular neuritis, vestibular migraine, and PPPD. You do not need to have had a concussion to be evaluated.
BPPV happens when small calcium crystals in the inner ear become dislodged and trigger brief spells of vertigo with certain head movements. It's one of the most common causes of vertigo and usually responds well to canalith repositioning maneuvers performed by a trained physical therapist.
Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness, or PPPD, is a type of long-lasting dizziness. People often describe it as rocking, swaying, lightheadedness, or feeling unsteady rather than a room-spinning sensation.

Symptoms may become worse when you are upright, moving, walking through busy stores, scrolling, using screens, or looking at moving objects. PPPD can begin after an episode of vertigo, an inner-ear condition, a migraine, or a concussion.

Vestibular physical therapy may be part of treatment. Your therapist can use a gradual exercise plan to help you become less sensitive to the movements and visual environments that trigger symptoms.

Where to Get Concussion Treatment Near You

Find your nearest FX Physical Therapy location on our full locations page.

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Medically reviewed by Danny Ludwig, PT, DPT, NCS | Last reviewed: September 14, 2026