Keep your head in the game
Concussion injuries are not a new phenomenon. Yet, despite the press and huge push for education, we continue to hear about people who ignore their concussion symptoms, or report that they don’t have a concussion because they weren’t knocked out. So what is a concussion if that’s not the case? Put simply, a concussion changes the way our brain functions – causing it to work less optimally. It may be caused either by a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body with a subsequent force transmitted to the head. A Concussion may or may not involve loss of consciousness (loss of consciousness is not a diagnostic requirement). In fact, less than 20% of concussions result in a loss of consciousness.
We often expect to feel “off” or experience headache and dizziness after sustaining an impact or blow to the head, but what happens when those symptoms haven’t subsided and it’s been weeks or even months since the injury occurred? Many of our clients with concussion injuries report high levels of emotions (commonly frustration, anxiety and depression just to name a few) accompanying their concussion symptoms from an injury that “can’t always be seen.” We often hear about the overwhelming fatigue that stems from having to struggle with continuous symptoms that seem to affect nearly every aspect of their day. However, there is often a huge sigh of relief when they are told that something can be done to TREAT their symptoms beyond the traditional “Rest, Wait & See” approach.
As concussions have become a growing, nationwide concern, we at City Sports + Physio Clinic feel strongly about doing our part to help manage these injuries by taking a collective and comprehensive approach for the complete management of a concussion injury: Education, Awareness, Baseline Testing, Physical Testing, Therapeutic Strategies and Return to Play Preparation. We will work with YOU and your doctor, coach, teachers, employers and other health care practitioners to assist you in your recovery. We will assess and manage each individual as a whole and are committed to developing rehabilitative interventions that are specific to YOU and YOUR injury.
How is our approach different from other treatment programs? We recognize that concussion symptoms can stem from a breakdown in a variety of bodily systems that need to work together in a coordinated manner in order to process and to react to the surrounding environment. Our therapists can assess your cervical spine (neck) to determine if there are issues specific to spinal mobility and stability that may be contributing to your concussion symptoms. In addition, we can assess how well your visual system works with your balance and vestibular systems and its effect on your symptom presentation.
Through a variety of screening measures, we can determine if referrals to external providers may need to be considered for services such as Optometry, Psychology, and further medical investigation.
Here at City Sports + Physiot Clinic, we are dedicated to assisting our clients from the elite-level competitor to the recreational athlete to the non-athlete who has sustained a head injury from a motor vehicle accident or an “ordinary” accident to be able to return to their pre-injury level of activity. Our goal is to provide a high standard of care for ALL of our clients and we are passionate and committed to concussion care and recognize that only through a collective, the comprehensive and client-centred approach can we achieve the goal of a safe and expeditious return to being Fit to Play.
