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 post-concussion syndrome specialists in Toronto’s surrounding area share some common pitfalls they encounter when seeing patients at our Aurora Rehabilitation and Thornhill physiotherapy clinic.

1. Doing Too Much In A Day

Doing too much in a day is tiring for all of us and is even more taxing for those afflicted with post-concussion syndrome. It creates stress that will further compromise 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 a day can easily lead to headaches, fatigue, insomnia, blurry 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 it is beneficial. Therapy is like an investment, it costs "funds" (i.e., time and energy) up front to do it but it will pay off "dividends" (i.e., more resilience and functional ability) later on so that you will have a larger budget (i.e., capabilities) to incur expenses (i.e., do the things you want to do in a day) later on.

2. Other Musculoskeletal Injuries Getting In The Way

If you have back, neck, knee pain, etc., you may have to spend some time rehabilitating this before you can progress in visual and vestibular therapy. Much of the training in visual and vestibular therapy requires one to have good posture and balance and to be free from distracting injuries.

3. Poorly Controlled Migraines

Anyone who has had migraines or knows someone with them knows that to avoid the triggers for migraines can be difficult; and once you get a migraine, it is nearly impossible to do anything other than sleep. There is a lot of evidence for medical management of migraines but for those who prefer a natural approach, there is biofeedback, psychological, lifestyle and dietary measures one can take to treat migraines.

4. Psychological Stress/Conditions

Stress, depression and anxiety will adversely affect your motivation, energy, sleep, concentration and your ability to optimize your physiological performance. Those who have the longest road ahead in the context of post-concussion syndrome are patients who fall in this category. Modifying one’s lifestyle and work obligations to reduce the stress are helpful. It is good to involve your psychologist or doctor early on in your care.

5. Sleep Disorders

We all know how a poor night’s sleep will affect our mood, cognitive capacity and energy level the next day. Imagine how it would feel to have a slew of poor nights’ sleep in the context of post-concussion syndrome. The best way to regulate one’s sleep is through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBT-i).

For those seeking physiotherapy in Aurora, Ontario or sports physiotherapy in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill or the surrounding areas, we have 2 locations conveniently located to help you recover from your concussion.

About the Company

York Region Concussion Clinic – a specialist in rehabilitation services! We provide a medically supervised concussion program & variety of therapy in Aurora & surrounding area of GTA. Our rehabilitation team works together to customize your treatment plan.