What is it? 

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury. It’s typically caused by a knock to the head, face or neck but can be anywhere on the body that transmits force to the head. This causes a temporary impairment of brain function. 

Signs and Symptoms 

Red flags 

-Double Vision
-Weakness or Tingling/Burning in arms or legs
-Severe or Increasing Headache
-Seizure or Convulsions
-Deteriorating Conscious State
-Vomiting
-Increasingly Restless, Agitated or Combative

Physical 

-Headache
-Dizziness
-Imbalance
-Nausea
-Fatigue
-Double or blurred vision
-Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
-Phonophobia (sensitivity to sound)

Emotional

-Irritability
-Restlessness
-Anxiety
-Depression
-Panic attacks
-Mood swings
-Aggression
-Decreased tolerance to stress

Cognitive

-Poor short or long term memory
-Confusion
-Brain fog
-Difficulty concentrating
-Reduced attention span
-Slowed mental processing

Sleep 

-Change in sleep pattern 
-Trouble staying asleep 
-Trouble falling asleep 

Management

A vestibular Physiotherapist uses bedside testing to assess your head, neck and vestibular system to identify possible deficits and may assess your tolerance to cardiovascular activity through a Buffalo Treadmill Testing. From there we can develop an individualised home exercise program to assist in decreasing concussion symptoms and improve function to allow for a graded return to sport, school or work.