What is a concussion?↓

A mild traumatic brain injury occurs when the head accelerates forward or backward quickly. This causes the brain to rapidly hit the front of the skull and then the back of it. The impact of the brain on the skull is what causes a concussion. Concussion diagnosis is difficult at times because the individual may not have symptoms immediately and oftentimes it will not show up on scans such as MRI. Concussions often involve neck pain and headaches, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, complaints of visual issues and difficulty with concentrating in school, being in crowds, etc. Because concussions are complex in nature it requires a specially trained physical therapist to design the rehabilitation program and it is a multidisciplinary venture. This means that your doctor, neurologist, physical therapist, school nurse, athletic trainer, coach, must all be involved in the rehab process to ensure a quick recovery.

How can physical therapy help? ↓

Because the symptoms and pain are individual, each patient will have a different presentation at therapy. A physical therapist will do a thorough medical history review including gathering all the information about your current pain levels, current functional deficits and how this impacts your daily activities. A movement assessment will be performed including observation of activities such as walking or getting in/out of a chair as well as movements specific to your pain location and symptoms. With this information your physical therapist can develop a personalized treatment plan to help relieve your back pain and get you back to your normal routine. Your physical therapist will likely prescribe a combination of exercises, stretches and activities to avoid while you’re recovering as well as advise you on how to resume activities once you find relief.