Concussion Therapy
What is a concussion?
A concussion occurs as a result of the rapid acceleration and deceleration to the brain during a blow to the head. There are two processes that can occur in the brain to cause concussive symptoms.
- Shearing or tearing of axons which affects the electric signal.
- Release of neurochemicals. The rapid change causes a flooding of neurochemicals, and the brain cannot handle the overwhelming amount of information.
Initial symptoms resulting from either of these processes, can include
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Attention and Memory disturbance
- Loss of consciousness.
How does concussion therapy help?
Your body will usually signal you when you are doing too much. For most people this means that they start feeling fatigued or develop other concussion symptoms. Before a concussion, most people ignore these signals to “push through” and “get the job done.” This is not going to work after a concussion. By increasing your awareness of body signals and increasing your ability to predict which activities will result in fatigue, you will develop skills in staying in the zone. Your clinician will give you weekly tracking sheets to record your activity levels and also levels of energy. You will be able to discuss with your clinician what activities or experiences are draining for you (they are different for everyone) and develop skills in planning your weekly schedule.
We use a combination of clinical assessment and psychometric testing to assess the impact of concussion on the brain.
Concussion therapy promotes recovery through:
- Balancing rest and activity
- Body signal and awareness
- Thinking patterns emotional signs