Featured Image Caption: Concussion and Physiotherapy
Jump to read...
Understanding Concussions and Brain Injuries
Although our brains are protected by the hard barrier of our skull, a blow or jolt to the head—or a similar jolt to the body that causes the head to move back and forth quickly—is enough to cause a mild traumatic brain injury.
Any kind of brain injury that leads to dysfunction can be referred to as a traumatic brain injury (TBI). One of the most common types of TBI is a concussion, which specifically describes an injury that occurs when the brain moves and hits the inside of the skull, which bruises it.
Since the sudden movement of the brain can result in the twisting and stretching of the brain’s cells and nerves, or temporarily change how chemicals in the brain function, this can alter the way the brain sends messages to the rest of the body. This is why people who suffer brain injuries may think, act, move, or feel different than is usual for some time.
When someone suffers a concussion, this injury may affect their judgment, reflexes, speech, balance, or muscle coordination. They may also experience a brief period of amnesia that prevents them from remembering what happened immediately before or after the injury occurred.
In addition, a concussion could lead to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances. Even minor concussions should be taken seriously, especially if it is not the first time a person has experienced one.
How Physiotherapy Aids Concussion Rehabilitation
The amount of time that it takes for someone to recover from a concussion varies greatly. In some cases, a person can fully recover from a mild concussion in 7-10 days, while in others, symptoms could last for months.
Fortunately, there are proven methods to help speed up this recovery process, including physiotherapy. After conducting an in-depth assessment of the concussion and its symptoms, a physiotherapist can help someone gradually return to normal brain function while helping to relieve concussion symptoms during this process.
Depending on the problems that a concussed patient may be experiencing, a physiotherapist may help correct cervical spine issues, vestibular issues, visual disturbances, or exertion problems through various exercises.
By continuously assessing these issues, a physiotherapist can cater their approach to meet the specific needs of their patient until a satisfactory level of rehabilitation has been achieved.
Different Types of Physiotherapy Rehabilitation
There are several common approaches for physiotherapists who aim to help patients by administering physiotherapy treatment and rehabilitation. Depending on the kind of health condition or injury that a patient suffers from, sometimes a combination of different rehabilitative methods may be necessary throughout the healing process.
In most cases, the following four rehabilitation approaches are crucial elements of the treatment plan for patients, as these methods have proven to be most effective:
Preventative Rehabilitation
Shortly after a patient begins experiencing a new impairment, it is crucial for a physiotherapist to provide information, advice, and interventions on how to slow or prevent the onset of further impairments. By teaching them how to best manage their condition, a physiotherapist can help the patient maintain their level of ability.
Restorative Rehabilitation
Through interventions specifically focused on improving a patient’s impairments, such as their muscle strength or cognitive dysfunction, a physiotherapist can help them recover as much function as possible.
Supportive Rehabilitation
With a supportive rehabilitation approach, a physiotherapist can help boost their patient’s self-care abilities by guiding them to use self-help devices or showing them alternative ways to do things while they are in recovery.
This can occasionally include the provision of environmental modifications as well, depending on the type and severity of a patient’s condition.
Palliative Rehabilitation
When patients have life-limiting conditions, palliative rehabilitation can aid them in restoring their quality of life in a number of ways, including physically, psychologically, and socially.
It does this by relieving symptoms like pain, dyspnoea, or oedema to help foster comfort and maximize functional independence.
Cognitive and Psychosocial Considerations
When someone experiences serious harm, such as a traumatic brain injury, the immediate symptoms of the injury may naturally become the primary focus as they recover. However, it is often not the only concern that needs to be addressed.
It is also natural for people in such circumstances to have psychological and emotional responses to this injury, which may manifest in feelings of depression, stress, or anxiety, especially in cases where the injury is debilitating in some way.
Unfortunately, the negative effects of a serious injury on one’s mental health are unpredictable and could extend from the time immediately following the injury through to post-rehabilitation when it is possible to return to normal activity.
To help intervene in circumstances when a patient’s mental health has been more severely impacted by their injury, it is important to avoid rushing their recovery. As well, it helps to discuss short- and long-term goals for their recovery to maintain their motivation while also encouraging their friends and family to form a support network.
The Ethical Considerations in Concussion Management
Since concussions are often sports-related injuries, there are ethical considerations that occasionally come into play in the treatment of patients. For example, doctors may be expected to provide such patients with clearance to continue playing their sport even when this is not in the best interests of their health.
It is always important for doctors who are tasked with caring for concussed athletes to remember that they have an ethical responsibility to ensure that it is their priority to protect the current and future physical and mental health of their patients.
Therefore, it is their duty to provide these athletes and their families with adequate information about concussion symptoms and risk factors, including the risk of neurological impairments.
When a doctor feels that a patient is unfit to immediately return to active participation in their sport due to a concussion, it is crucial that they explain why this is the case and provide guidance to the patient and/or their caregivers about a timeline for returning to the sport.
If they neglect to do so because they feel it is not what the patient or their caregivers will want to hear, they could be putting the health and safety of their patient at risk.
Why Concussions Are Serious Injuries and Should Always Be Treated as Such
A concussion is quite unlike most injuries. This is because the brain is such a central component of our body, and is responsible for numerous vital functions like our memory, speech, mobility, and more.
While some people may recover from a concussion at a faster rate than others, when the symptoms are more serious or longer-lasting, it is best to seek treatment, such as physiotherapy rehabilitation.
Through such treatment, a person can gradually overcome the symptoms of their concussion, and their brain will gradually return to its normal function again.
By Erin Gregory
who is a blogger in Toronto. She is currently working as a Community Manager for several small businesses. She has graduated with honors from the University of British Columbia with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing.
Member since July, 2022
View all the articles of Erin Gregory.
Leave a Reply