Concussion Treatment: 6 Steps to Recovery

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6 Steps to Recover from a Concussion

Did you or someone you know experience a concussion? Concussions are a mild form of traumatic brain injury secondary to hitting your head from a fall, collision, playground accident or sports injury. Concussions can also occur from your body moving rapidly causing impact on your head. Head injuries can result in difficulty remembering, dizziness, headaches, sensitivity to light, difficulty concentrating, fogginess and other symptoms. 

Here are 6 steps to help you recover from a concussion:

  1. Follow a consistent schedule!
    • Keep regular sleep and wake times.
    • Be consistent with meal timing
    • NO NAPS
    • Regular, light activity
    • Consistent hydration
  2. Begin light activity. For example, help your child/teen/yourself begin a walk, swimming, or read a book. The goal is to participate in safe and appropriate activities , but will need to take breaks if symptoms increase. 
  3. Progress to medium-level activity. What does this mean for you or your child/teen? This means to add movement into your day without symptoms. This may include running or skating drills, but no head impact activities. 
  4. Incorporate more movements – as you are not feeling your signs and symptoms. This would include non-contact training drills. This would mean getting back into practice or starting progressive resistance training.
  5. If in a sport and after medical clearance, it’s your time for full contact practice! This is your time to regain your confidence and start training hard.
  6. Return to sport, resume all activity. This may take longer than you first thought, but it is well worth the wait.

Those who seek out physical therapy services may be able to move faster through the above six steps. Physical therapy for concussions includes retraining your brain and vestibular system while allowing your brain adequate healing time. Therapy will include a specific program directed toward the patient’s symptoms and goals including dual task cognitive tasks, working to exertional levels safely and balance training. 

But most importantly, you’ll navigate those 6 steps with professional guidance so you can feel confident you are progressing at the pace that’s right for you.

For more info on how physical therapy can help with concussion recovery, contact Brittany at brittany.matejka@proximal50.com or call 701-751-2974 for setup a consult with Brittany.