Physiotherapy for Concussion
Getting a knock to the head during sport is always a worry. Thankfully most people now know that it is NEVER to be ignored, and First Aiders are all taught to take this injury very seriously. If you have had a knock, there is a chance you may have a concussion so it is important that you are assessed by a Medical professional to have this correctly assessed.
If you do have a concussion, and you have symptoms that linger after 48 hours, you could have Post-Concussion Syndrome.
Symptoms of Post-Concussion Syndrome include:
Symptoms: somatic (eg, headache), cognitive (eg, feeling like in a fog) and/or emotional symptoms (eg, lability, more emotional)
Physical signs (eg, loss of consciousness, amnesia, neurological deficit)
Balance impairment (eg, gait unsteadiness)
Behavioural changes (eg, irritability)
Cognitive impairment (eg, slowed reaction times, poor concentration)
Sleep/wake disturbance (eg, drowsiness, altered sleep patterns)
Whilst some rest is important, you don’t have to just “wait” for the symptoms to go away.
Active rehabilitation is recommended by the International Consensus Statement of Concussion in Sport. It may help you get better more quickly and may eliminate any cumulative effects of subsequent concussions.
Here at Barossa Physiotherapy we can provide Concussion Rehab, which includes:
Screening for Post Concussive Syndrome (we use the Scat-5 assessment tool)
Neurological, Vestibular (balance/dizziness) and Musculoskeletal assessment
Neck and headache treatment
Safe implementation of a graded rehabilitation program to prepare for returning to sport/work
Providing specific exercises for reducing some symptoms
Assessing for return to school/work and return to sport
If you would like an assessment and advice, please give us a call. We have physios with extra training to deal with these symptoms (eg: headache,balance or vestibular disturbances), so let us know what symptoms you have when you call, and we can book you in with the appropriate physio.
