Assessment and Treatment
During the early stage, following injury, a period of symptom-respecting rest is recommended. Research suggests this phase should last 24 to 48 hours, however, these decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
Following a short period of rest, the International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Berlin, 2016) recommends a gradual increase in mental and physical activity with support coming from a licensed healthcare practitioner trained and experienced in concussion management. Gone are the days of sitting in a dark room until your symptoms settle. Research is showing that a graduated active recovery for concussion is now the preferred method of treatment.
Our experienced team works with you to understand and treat your symptoms all in the process of getting you back to school, to play and to life. The concussion certified therapists use a range of tools to support you along your recovery pathway, such as:
Comprehensive assessment so we can identify the factors leading to your current symptom presentation.
Exertion testing. The research is showing that exercise can be medicine for the person recovering from concussion. The scientists are also telling us that the dosage and frequency of this exercise is important. That is why we assess your exercise thresholds and design your plan based on the results.
There are a number of other systems that link directly with the brain and can be affected by the concussion. For example, the system that controls your sense of motion and your balance capacity (i.e. your vestibular system), or the system that controls the position of the eyes (i.e. oculomotor function). If these systems are affected then we want to know about it and work targeted treatments into your plan.
Assessment and treatment of the neck. Most concussions take place between 70g's and 120g's of force. That's a lot of energy. A neck injury can occur at 5g's of force. That means it is very important to check if the neck is functioning well after a concussion, especially if symptoms are lingering.
You may notice changes in your thinking or cognition. This could include difficulty with memory, attention, problem solving, organisation and other executive functions. We provide in depth assessment to pinpoint your areas of concern and provide strategies to help you return to everyday life as quickly as possible.
Alisha our OT is a certified BrainFX therapist. The BrainFX assessment tool assesses 30 different cognitive skills as well as physical, sensory and mental health function. It is designed to detect mild to moderate cognitive disorders, which are often missed during assessment or screening exams. The BrainFX assessment is relatively short, taking approximately 90 minutes to complete, and provides detailed information on overall neuro-function to help identify your specific needs. Understanding your strengths and limitations is valuable information to tailor your treatment plan and outline rehabilitation potential.
If you are off work or school because of your concussion, we work with you to optimise the return to school/work process. Assessment may include job/school site assessment, ergonomic evaluation, environmental accommodations and education to address stress and fatigue management, cognitive strategies, and any additional areas of concern. We are also able to help in the development of a graduated return to work plan if that is deemed helpful.
Some people may experience differences in mood, sleep and/or overall mental health following a head injury. At the concussion clinic we provide holistic assessment to establish individual care planning so you can manage your mental and physical health. We can assist in a variety of areas including fatigue, stress and anxiety management, trauma informed care, chronic pain management and post-traumatic stress disorder.
We recognise that your recovery could also require services outside of our team, in which case we will endeavour to connect you with the right person in your local concussion treatment community.
We also do Baseline Testing - See here