Concussion Management and Rehabilitation Services

If you’ve had a fall, been in a car accident, sustained a whiplash injury, or have hit your head, you might have sustained concussion.

It’s important to remember that:

  • Concussions can occur without hitting your head, such as in a whiplash type injury
    and
  • Less than 20% of concussions result in a loss of consciousness

At Russett Rehabilitation, we help you recover from your concussion with a specialized care and rehabilitation program customized to your specific concussion needs.

Looking for treatments and rehabilitation for concussion? Contact us now to book your in-person consultation or treatment session

What is concussion?

Concussion is typically a temporary injury to the brain. Concussion is caused when you receive a direct blow to your head, face or neck, or when a blow elsewhere transmits an “impulsive” force to this area. One example is whiplash in a motor vehicle accident, where the force of being thrown forward and your head “whipping” backwards inflicts force on your head/brain.

Signs of concussion

Concussion symptoms can take minutes, hours or even days to emerge, and can include:

  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Balance and gait abnormalities
  • Motion sensitivity
  • Memory changes/Confusion
  • Mood changes
  • Vision changes such as “seeing stars”, blurred vision or difficulty focusing
  • Lack of coordination
  • Sensitivity to light or noise

It is important that you seek immediate emergency medical attention if you are experiencing deteriorating mental status such as increasing confusion and difficulty recognizing people or places. Immediate medical attention is also required if you experience worsening headache, nausea or vomiting, and excessive drowsiness or lethargy.

Causes of concussion

  • Work injuries
  • Motor vehicles accidents, including whiplash
  • Sporting accidents
  • Falls
  • Slips and falls on ice

Sports and concussion

Ice hockey is a high-risk contact sport for concussion, and accounts for 15–30% of all hockey head injuries.(1) Most contact sports and high speed sports such as skiing carry an inherent risk of concussion. We can work with amateur and professional players to rehabilitate at the optimum pace, enabling players to return to the ice or field with confidence.

If you are a team player, coach or youth team organizer, call us to discuss how we can help your players.

(1) Izraelski, Jason. “Concussions in the NHL: A narrative review of the literature.” The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association vol. 58,4 (2014): 346-52. >[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4262814/]

Your concussion experts at Russett Rehabilitation:

Our concussion treatment team include:

How we diagnose and treat concussions

  • After a thorough history is taken further testing may include a neurological examination, oculomotor vision tests, vestibular tests, orthopaedic examination (neck or any other involved area), cardiovascular examination.
  • Treatment will be individually tailored based on each person’s specific needs and may include:
      • Oculomotor or vision exercises
      • Vestibular exercises
      • Balance and gait exercises
      • Graded cardiovascular exercise
      • Manual hands on treatment of the affected areas
      • Education regarding pacing, rest, activity participation and return to work and sport