Concussions: 6 Key Things You Should Know

Concussions have reached an epidemic level with an estimated 3.8 million sport related concussions sustained in the U.S every year; comprising of fifteen percent of all sport-related injuries. This is becoming a huge issue for athletes as there are many questions surrounding recovery and when they can return to play.

At Marathon Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, we want to ensure you have all the answers to your questions regarding your wellness and health. Therefore, we offer concussion rehabitiliation at all of our four clinic locations and have experts on hand to answer any questions you have.

Here are some key facts from the concussion experts at Marathon.

1.  You do not need to lose consciousness to be diagnosed with a concussion. A Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head that can change the way the brain normally functions. A concussion can occur during practices, games or any activity and at any age.
2. Always be cleared by a health care professional before returning to any activity.  It is never safe to return to play on the same day as getting a concussion. The safest thing to do is to seek immediate medical attention and follow up with your primary care physician. Also, inform your school and coach so appropriate measures can be put into place. Avoid any further trauma to your head. This includes any activity that carries a risk for head injury.
3. Take some mental rest.  Mental rest is just as important as physical rest when recovering from a concussion. Doing these things may worsen or bring about concussion symptoms and delay your recovery.
4. Children and adolescents do not recover quicker than adults from concussion.
5.  Physical Therapists can evaluate and treat many problems related to concussion. A licensed physical therapist will create and individualized plan of care to address symptoms of headache, dizziness and neck pain. The goal of physical therapy treatment is to restore balance, aerobic conditioning, strength, and flexibility. The physical therapist will carefully guide the individual through their recovery and prepare the individual for return to play through manual therapy, balance training, vestibular rehab and aerobic exercise.
6. Symptoms to watch out for include but are not limited to: headache, nausea vomiting, dizziness, balance problems, visual changes and/or sensitivity to light.

To learn more about Marathon Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, visit http://www.marathonphysicaltherapy.com/ or "like" the Marathon Physical Therapy page on Facebook or "follow us" on Twitter at Marathon_PT.