Concussion Therapy Specialist Q&A

A concussion occurs when a traumatic injury has affected the way the brain functions. Usually, the effects are only temporary, but there can be other symptoms like headaches, memory issues, problems concentrating, balance and coordination.

Concussions are normally caused by a blow to the head or being violently shaken in the upper body or head. Some who have suffered from a concussion have lost consciousness, while others have not. Another very common cause of concussions includes falls or playing contact sports like soccer or football.

Many patients will recover fully after a concussion, depending on how many concussions they’ve received in their lifetime, and within what time span, which will depend on how fast they recover.

There are signs and symptoms of a concussion, whether they may be subtle or not show up immediately, the symptoms that you need to look out for include:

• Headache
• Ringing within the ears
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Drowsiness
• Blurry vision
• Confusion
• Amnesia
• Dizzy

If there are witnesses available at the time of the concussion, they may have seen other symptoms that you may not notice including:

• Temporary loss of consciousness
• Slurred speech
• Delay in responding to questions
• Dazed and confused
• Forgetful

Some of these symptoms may only last a few minutes to a few hours, while others may experience these symptoms for a few days to even a few weeks after the concussion occurs.

Concussion therapy is one of the best options available for restoring healthy cognitive function. Recovering from post-concussion syndrome will require multiple types of massage therapies; however, our concussion therapy will allow our therapists to focus entirely on treating your post-concussion syndrome and give you the best possible treatment.

Employing cognitive and physiotherapy for concussion therapy over a course of a certain time frame will be created specifically for each individual undergoing concussion therapy, to help the brain return to a much more optimal place.

Good candidates for concussion therapy are often patients who have been diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury, they are typically diagnosed with a concussion via an x-ray clinic, sports medicine clinic, or an emergency department and come to use within a short time frame after, usually 24 to 48 hours after the injury has occurred. However, we will see patients who have had concussions occur up to three months after the date of their injury, we just mention the earlier you come to us for treatment after a concussion, the better help you will receive from the intense therapy concussion therapy provides to help prevent any long-term or even lifetime issues due to a concussion.

Our main goal at Prosper Health & Rehab is to provide the fastest and most efficient therapy and clinical counseling to our patients to help them recover faster from their traumatic brain injuries (concussions). During your evaluation to see if you are a good candidate for concussion therapy, we will review your symptoms based on a post-concussion symptom scale, review your entire medical history, review any previous imaging that may have been completed before you came to visit us, this may include MRIs, CT scans, and/or X-rays, we may also do a cranial nerve exam, a cervical spine exam, and finally a balanced assessment.

To reduce or even prevent your risk of receiving a traumatic brain injury, also known as a concussion, we highly recommend you use safety equipment that fits properly when playing sports but also including to wear:

• Seatbelts when in a vehicle, airplane, or any other place that provides seatbelts
• Booster seats and/or car seats
• Helmet while using any equipment or driving equipment

Helmets were created as a way to save your head from serious injury, while they cannot prevent all injuries or concussions, they can reduce the severity of the injury and prevent even more serious injuries including skull fractures.

As well, ensure you are properly trained to do things like sports or a job, there is supervision involved in the practice, games, or on the job, and concussion awareness and management tools have been completed and are understood before continuing. If you have received a brain injury from a concussion recently, and you are looking into options to help with therapy after an injury to the head, contact Prosper Health and Rehab today! For more information, call us or visit us today to book an appointment. We are conveniently located at your nearest places in Vancouver and Surrey, BC. We serve patients from Vancouver BC, Surrey BC, Burnaby BC, Richmond BC, Langley BC, and Coquitlam BC.