Concussion Assessment
Headaches
Getting headaches following a concussion is common.
Headaches can be due to:
- Referral of pain from your neck
- Changes in your vision
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation
- Post traumatic headache or migraine
Our physiotherapists can assess your neck, vision and ANS to determine if they are causing your headaches, then provide treatment for them.
Neck
During a concussion injury the force of hitting your head or body is transferred along your neck, commonly causing neck injury in addition to the concussion. Headaches, dizziness and balance problems are symptoms of both concussion and neck injuries (or whiplash). Our experienced Physiotherapist can provide neck manual therapy and exercises as treatment for these symptoms.
Vestibular and Visual System
Dysfunction of the vestibular (inner ear) and the visual systems following concussion can cause the following:
- Dizziness
- Balance problems
- Difficulty reading and concentrating
Our experienced physiotherapist can assess these systems and provide you with treatments aimed at alleviating these symptoms. If your visual issues are significant, our physiotherapist will advise you and refer you to an appropriate eye specialist for treatment.
Balance
Balance problems following a concussion can be due to issues of the vestibular system, visual system or neck proprioception. All of these areas are addressed during comprehensive physiotherapy assessment and treatment.
Exercise Tolerance
Following a concussion you may experience headaches, light headedness or dizziness when you try to exercise. This may be due to dysfunction of your autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS can be tested using a treadmill test administered by our physiotherapists. An individualized, sport specific, graded return to exercise program is then designed for you by our physiotherapist.
Sleep
Some people experience difficulty getting to sleep or regular waking up overnight following concussion. Other people find they are sleeping excessively. Additionally, fatigue can be a common symptom following concussion. Our staff can provide you with education and advice on how to improve your sleep and fatigue levels.
Thinking, Concentration and Emotions
Difficulty concentrating and feeling more emotional than usual are other common symptoms following concussion. Usually, getting treatment for your headaches, neck pain, sleep and fatigue issues can help improve these thinking and emotional issues. At times it can also be useful to talk to a psychologist so that they can provide you with strategies to help with your thinking and emotion. Our staff can help you decide if seeing a psychologist would be useful for you individually.