Symptoms after a Concussion, such as difficulty functioning, result from the brain losing its normal ability to process information. Common post-concussive symptoms can include cognitive impairment, fatigue, emotional changes, sleep disturbances, personality changes, sensory sensitivity, headaches, and dizziness.
Who Is Part of the Concussion Rehab Team?
A multidisciplinary team such as the one demonstrated in the online course, Current Concussion Evaluation and Treatment Approaches, can play a crucial role in helping someone recover from a concussion. A comprehensive approach with a team with diverse expertise can ensure a holistic approach to healing. Multidisciplinary teams often include neurologists, physical, occupational, speech therapists, dieticians, and sports medicine specialists.
How Do you Develop a Comprehensive Concussion Program?
The multidisciplinary team in Current Concussion Evaluation and Treatment Approaches lays out a plan through various case studies and lectures, labs, and demonstrations to help navigate the challenges of concussion recovery effectively and reduce the risk of long-term issues. Another multidisciplinary approach is demonstrated in the online course Invisible Trauma.
NeuroPsychology and Important Part of the Team
A concussion is a roller-coaster ride, and what I help patients understand is that the symptoms that occur with concussion are tough to pinpoint. They’re hard to put your finger on. Patients come in and tell me they’ve just bumped their heads, and now they can’t function. They wonder what is wrong with them.
I immediately explain to them what those symptoms are and that they will vary each day, and I help them understand that this roller-coaster ride is absolutely possible to get a handle on. So, I teach them their symptoms, when they occur, and what sets them off.
For most patients, what happens is that they believe they can do certain activities until their symptoms develop, which is the pitfall that they fall into, sending them on a roller-coaster ride. Patients will overdo it to the point that they can’t do it anymore, and then they become very symptomatic for the rest of that day, and sometimes for even longer than a day.
I want to make sure that patients begin to understand their symptoms:
- Know which activities will set those symptoms off
- The length of time that it will take for those symptoms to be triggered
- The degree of rest they need to bring the symptoms back down.
I give everyone a journal and they have to rate their symptoms every day and tell me what they did, what activities they engaged in, and how long they engaged in those activities.
By looking at their pattern of symptoms, activities, and rest, patients begin to experience some control over this roller-coaster ride. I explain to patients that I want to make sure that we have this controlled, gradual recovery and not a recovery that involves too much activity too soon. In other words, the recovery would involve a very gradual increase of activities without symptoms so that patients can continue to increase their abilities without getting to the point of over-exertion and becoming very symptomatic.”
Will Your Rehab Program Be Effective?
To provide effective treatment for someone recovering from a concussion, it’s essential to understand the skills of the multidisciplinary team and how the individual experiences their symptoms. You can better offer timely, personalized, and comprehensive care by better understanding these challenges. Here’s how you can learn from the team and improve your approach: Study from the series of online concussion and vestibular courses. The online courses can equip you with the essential skills and knowledge to identify and understand various challenges that individuals with cognitive impairment, physical symptoms, sensory sensitivity, and emotional difficulties may experience. By recognizing these issues, you’ll be better prepared to create tailored programs that address their unique needs.
For a comprehensive evaluation and treatment approach for Concussion and vestibular disorders, go to https://www.healthclick.com/physical-therapy-continuing-education.php and utilize the resources provided in the Concussion-Vestibular Series of comprehensive courses within the All-Access Healthclick
Subscription. Some of the courses in this series are:
Concussion Course Series
Invisible Trauma-Recovery from Complex Concussions
Current Concussion Evaluation and Treatment Approaches
Vestibular Rehab -Evaluation and Treatment
References
Apple, R.W.; Stran, B.M.; Tross, B. Psychologists’ Role in Concussion Assessments for Children and Adolescents in Pediatric Practice. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2020, 17, 7549. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207549
Baker, John G., Barry S. Willer, and John J. Leddy. “Integrating neuropsychology services in a multidisciplinary concussion clinic.” The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation 34.6 (2019): 419-424
