Common Pitfalls to Successful Concussion Rehabilitation
Most of us know someone who seems to be taking a long time to recover from a concussion. Our Toronto-based post-concussion specialists share some common issues they encounter when caring for patients at our Aurora Rehabilitation and Thornhill physical therapy clinic.
1. Doing too much in one day
Doing too much in one day is exhausting for all of us, and it’s even more exhausting for those with post-concussion syndrome. It creates stress that will further compromise the already compromised neurological systems, i.e. the autonomic nervous system, the binocular vision system, the vestibular system, the circadian system, etc. For these patients, the effects of doing too much in one day can easily lead to headaches, fatigue, insomnia, blurred vision, poor visual processing, lightheadedness and/or dizziness, etc. This will make it difficult to find time to do your therapy in a way that is beneficial. Therapy is like an investment, it costs “funds” (ie, time and energy) up front to do it, but it will pay “dividends” (ie, more resilience and functional ability) later, so you’ll have a bigger budget. (ie capabilities) to incur expenses (ie do the things you want to do in a day) later.
2. Other musculoskeletal injuries that get in the way
If you have pain in your back, neck, knees, etc., you may need to spend some time rehabbing before you can progress to vision and vestibular therapy. Much of the training in vision and vestibular therapy requires one to have good posture and balance and be free of distracting injuries.
3. Poorly controlled migraines
Anyone who has had migraines or knows someone with them knows that avoiding migraine triggers can be difficult; and once you have a migraine, it’s almost impossible to do anything but sleep. There is a lot of evidence for the medical management of migraines, but for those who prefer a natural approach, there are biofeedback, psychological, lifestyle, and dietary measures that can be taken to treat migraines.
4. Psychological conditions/stress
Stress, depression and anxiety will negatively affect your motivation, energy, sleep, concentration and your ability to optimize your physiological performance. Those with the longest road ahead of them in the setting of post-concussive syndrome are the patients who fall into this category. It is useful to modify the lifestyle and work obligations to reduce stress. It’s good to involve your psychologist or doctor early on in your care.
5. Sleep disorders
We all know how a bad night’s sleep will affect our mood, cognitive ability, and energy level the next day. Imagine how it would feel to have a bunch of poor nights sleep in the context of post-concussion syndrome. The best way to regulate sleep is through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
For those seeking physical therapy in Aurora, Ontario or sports physical therapy in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, or the surrounding areas, we have 2 conveniently located locations to help you recover from your concussion.