USING PHYSICAL THERAPY TO TREAT CONCUSSIONS Take a Head-On Approach
In the past, when individuals believed they'd experienced a concussion or started to have concussion symptoms, they visited the emergency room or a medical professional to get a diagnosis and receive treatment. The treatment was rarely extensive. The doctor almost always said to rest. Some may have prescribed a painkiller, but they concluded that rest is the best medicine. Even if symptoms persisted, they would recommend more rest, but now, we’re discovering we can do more to help those who've experienced a concussion. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that occurs when the brain is violently shaken. Concussions have garnered more attention in recent years due to their prevalence in popular American sports. In the 2022 NFL season, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered two significant concussions and a smaller one. Many questioned whether the Dolphins organization and the NFL handled the situation correctly, likely leading to new concussion protocols in the future. It’s not just athletes who are at risk for concussions, either. Anyone can get one if they have an accident while driving or slip and fall and hit their head. Other than taking the necessary safety precautions while driving, playing sports, and performing everyday activities, there’s not much you can do to prevent a concussion.
However, if you get one, you can do a few things to speed up recovery — like attend physical therapy. Rest will still be a large part of your recovery plan, but we’ll explain why rest is so important. Often, concussions cause an individual to experience muscle weakness or a decrease in physical endurance, but we’ll help you reduce these feelings with an exercise program fit for your needs. Sometimes, an individual might experience dizziness or a lack of balance after a concussion. We can recommend and teach you various exercises to improve your balance. We’ll also inform you about different stretches, strength and motion exercises, and eye exercises to reduce the frequency or intensity of headaches. We put all of this together so you can recover from your concussion quickly and return to your favorite activities. A concussion is a serious brain injury and should be treated as such. Suppose you ignore or fail to notice your symptoms and continue participating in physical activities. In that case, you risk suffering another concussion or experiencing second-impact syndrome, which can leave you with permanent brain damage or worse. If you’ve recently hit your head and are experiencing headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, light sensitivity, memory loss, confusion, or emotional symptoms, visit your doctor to see if you have a concussion. If your doctor diagnoses you with one, we’ll be here to help you on the road to recovery. Do not ignore the symptoms!
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