Post-Concussion Syndrome and The Role of Physiotherapy
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury or mTBI. There isn’t any specific time period for recovering from a concussion completely. Some may recover within a few weeks while others may show symptoms for several months or even years. This condition is known as a post-concussion syndrome or PCS. It sends people into a loophole since recovering from this trauma is quite overwhelming.
According to the World Confederation of Physical Therapy, physiotherapists develop, restore and maintain the fully functional ability and facilitate maximum movement throughout the lifespan. A concussion has several symptoms. And a reliable physiotherapist uses a variety of strategies to treat each symptom with the utmost precision.
Before discussing the role of physiotherapists in treating post-concussion syndrome, let’s understand what this syndrome is exactly.
What happens in post-concussion syndrome?
You already know what a concussion is by now. The post-concussion syndrome occurs when the recovery rate of the concussion exceeds the expected timeframe. As per the WHO International Classification of Diseases, PCS is defined as:
- It is characterized by loss of consciousness along with a history of head trauma. The onset of the preceding symptom is a maximum of four weeks.
- The symptoms usually include:
- Dizziness, altered noise tolerance, headache and fatigue
- Depression, anxiety and irritability
- Subjective intellectual difficulties
- Reduced alcohol tolerance
- Insomnia
- Three or four of the following symptoms of PCS shortly occur after the trauma and is quite persisting:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Disordered sleep
- Aggression
- Vertigo
- Changes in personality
- Apathy
The disorder also causes integral impairment in occupational and social functioning. You may experience a considerable worsening in academic performance during this period.
Now that you know enough about post-concussion syndrome, let’s understand the role of physiotherapy in treating it. You should always have all doubts cleared before opting for physiotherapy services.
Role of physiotherapy in treating PCS
A physiotherapist isn’t someone who you go to just for rehab after an acute injury. You can resort to physiotherapy while experiencing post-concussion syndrome as well. Figuring out the exact cause of the syndrome isn’t a feasible option. Thus, the physiotherapists in Abbotsford employ suitable physical exercises and other treatments depending on your symptoms.
Several physiotherapists in Abbotsford use a neuroimaging protocol or fNCI to get hold of the regions in your brain that is still experiencing dysfunction. The physiotherapists tailor their treatments accordingly to provide you with maximum relief.
What is neuromuscular therapy?
Neuromuscular therapy is a specialized manual therapy. In this case, the therapy manipulates, massages and stretches soft tissues. Muscles often tighten up due to stress and that puts considerable pressure on nerves thereby causing exorbitant pain. It is important for the muscle to relax so that the blood flow increases. It also reduces inflammation and enhances the growth of healthy cells.
At Legend Physiotherapy, we have a special team dedicated to neuromuscular therapy for patients suffering from post-concussion syndrome. There’s no point letting the pain affect your life when we are here to take care of it.
Whether you are suffering from PCS or any other physical ailment, get in touch with us. We have a wide gamut of physiotherapy treatments provided by only renowned physiotherapists in Abbotsford. All you have to do is book an appointment with us and we will get back to you instantly.