Treating Concussions at Fighting Fit! - Fighting Fit Physiotherapy Nerang Gold Coast

How Do We Treat Head Knocks at Fighting Fit?

This is the last blog in our Concussion series, and we’re going to explore how to recover from a concussion injury and what we do here at Fighting Fit Physiotherapy

While most concussion cases are mild and people recover within expected time frames, there are moderate cases where people don’t manage well and experience residual effects for weeks and months following a head trauma.

In addition, up to 30 percent of concussion cases are more complex, with prolonged symptoms and recovery for many months to years.

Every concussion is unique, so the rehabilitation needs to fit well with the presentation.

The process can also throw numerous curve balls and have setbacks, which is why we our practitioners will support you through each step, constantly testing, measuring and monitoring the process to make sure the decisions to return to ADL’s, sport, school or work is made at the right time.

Rest for Concussion

Every concussion event requires an initial period of rest. In the first 48-72 hours chemical changes within the brain occur post injury.

This time is a crucial time to reduce physical demands along with cognitive demand on the brain so to not stress the brain and prolong recovery.

This means:

Avoiding exercise or sport and nothing over a light walk where heart rate remains low.
Reducing and limiting activities that use a lot of our brain power and stimulate our senses such as television and scrolling on your phone should be undertaken.

Some patients experience symptoms in busy environments such as shopping centres, so ease back into these in coming days and if you notice it is not tolerated well, remove yourself as soon as possible as you’re just not ready for that level of stimulation.

Nutrition for Concussion

Food is fuel. Your brain is very susceptible to what you eat during a concussion.

It’s important to eat well, healthy and food full of antioxidants. Also increase your calorie intake during this period to allow the brain a surplus of nutrients which will aid in healing.

It’s very important to manage sleep in this phase as this will set us up for a better recovery.

For specific foods and supplements to eat, it is best to consult us in person.

Return of cognitive demands following concussion

This phase of recovery sees a graded return to activities that require concentration, effort and focus. We break down into 4 main phases:

Light cognitive activity
The goal of this stage is to work towards tolerating 45 minutes to 1 hour of cognitive activity such as reading, homework, watching television, using your phone, playing video games etc. If symptoms arise in this stage, we take a break and try again a little later.
Half day of work/schoolwork
This stage we work together on increasing concentration and focus with regular scheduled breaks in order to complete a half day of work or school work.
Full day of work/schoolwork (with restrictions)
Here we are building up our tolerance to activities that require longer periods of concentration time. We can determine the frequency of rest or change in environment depending on your presentation and symptoms.
Full day of work/schoolwork (with no restrictions)
This phase is a full, unrestricted, return to work or school work. The patient is able to tolerate a day’s worth of cognitive activity with minimal to no symptoms by the end of the day.

Return to exercise following a concussion

Returning of physical and cognitive demands will often overlap as we return to normal activities, particularly in return to sport situations.

Treadmill test
Once completing a supervised buffalo concussion treadmill test we can ensure a safe return to physical based activities. The test will assess readiness to return to varying levels of training and/or competition.
Grading activity return and sport specific practice
This phase focuses on returning to normal exercise and training routines in a graded fashion.
Meaning we start light and increase then physical demands as symptoms improve.
Increasing running, bike riding or gym based exercise over time allows optimal recovery and is specific which takes into account any other injuries to the neck or thoracic spine.
Once we can complete higher intensity exercise and sport specific drills we can move onto the next phase.
Full effort training
For return to sport we focus on completing training sessions at full intensity and effort alongside any gym based exercise. This allows us to exert ourselves physically in a safer environment.
Return to sport.
Once ready and completed training sessions we can then make a return to competition. Depending on the severity of injury and the level of competition, we can sometimes grade up the level someone competes from local, to regional, to state or back to national and international competition as part of the rehabilitation process.

Physiotherapy for Concussion

Many people do not realise that physiotherapy is the go to profession for concussion and head injuries.

The process taken is similar to other injuries we see, but does require a higher level of education, training and a special interest to do it really well.

Moreover, concussion can also have associated musculoskeletal injuries due to the mechanism of injury. These can include: whiplash, shoulder, neck and jaw pain, even residual neurological deficits if the brain is damaged enough.

Physiotherapy treatment with manual therapy and specific graded exercise will effectively treat these other areas.

Vestibular rehabilitation is also very important post concussion as patients can experience persistent vertigo, dizziness, balance and proprioception deficits which are present in up to 30% of concussion presentation.

This requires specific assessment, treatment and monitoring resolution of symptoms in patients who have suffered a concussion.

You won’t find this in your run of the mill physio clinic either!

Brenda Samosa

05:52 07 Nov 24

I had a really bad shoulder and had been seeing a different physio for 3 months (from a different place) I got told Tyson was good. After just a few sessions the movement was coming back. I’m 66 and was worried I would have to stop surfing. But with a lot of help from Tyson I’m back in the waves ( thank you so so much)

Cyana Ferguson

08:16 30 Oct 24

Steve Harris

22:33 15 Oct 24

Great team, all friendly, super helpful and first class clinical advice and a big shout out to my Physio Noah with my shoulder issue

Andrea Bell

05:33 19 Sep 24

These guys are the best in the biz 🎉

Ryan Brockett

04:20 18 Sep 24

Shout out to Max from fighting fit physio. He helped me out massively straight after shoulder surgery and back into work and sports in no time. Couldn’t recommend anyone better!

Scotty

08:31 31 Jul 24

Five star service from Max & the team!
Professional & very thorough, you know that patient outcomes are of the highest priority.
I highly recommend this business.

Riley Wilson

08:27 14 Jul 24

Be AWARE they’ll immediately try to commit you to multiple follow up sessions after your initial consultation. This happened to me and then I later found out that as it just so happens, they have a cancellation policy that says you have to pay 100% of the consultation fee for cancelling. They failed to tell me this when they were pushy in committing me to 6 sessions after my consult, so that was a really nice little surprise.

I was already uncomfortable with how pushy they were in having me commit to so many sessions, so when I heard about the policy I just cancelled all together. So, I can’t speak further to the quality of their service throughout therapy phase. FYI this was also a few months ago now, it’s possible (though unlikely) they may have changed the policy. Just ask the question.

Megan Shelley

06:51 03 May 24

Fighting Fit Physiotherapy is hands down the best physio I've encountered. Having tried multiple physios for various injuries, I always find myself coming back to them. Their expertise consistently exceeds expectations, helping me get back to my sport faster than I thought possible. Their personalized approach and attention to detail make all the difference. I could not recommend a better or more exceptional physio team!

Gina Matthews

08:41 24 Mar 23

Can't recommend this place high enough. I was in so much pain with my knee an had been for months through advise an exercises I'm now looking forward to returning to gym an back riding my horses in endurance thank you so much

Courtney Halse

01:36 29 Nov 22

Kyle was knowledgeable, personable and professional. He saw me through my second pregnancy and continued to work with me until 6 months post partum on issues with my back. Would recommend anyone to go and see him.

Also shout out to Georgia on the front desk. She makes you feel welcome and brings a sense of warmth to the place!

Alli Davenport

08:07 04 Nov 22

After hip replacement surgery in February I wanted toget back into weight training legs, I started with Mitch 18 weeks ago and after a lot of hard work and sweat I am able to safely train again, I cannot thank Mitch enough for his support,encouragement and knowledge. The staff are friendly and helpful and I always looked forward to my session's

Robert Parkinson

10:50 15 Aug 22

This is the second time I have been treated by the team at FFP.
As a health professional myself I have been impressed with the level of care I have received from all members of the team.
The personalised treatment and rehabilitation programs have produced excellent results and I have completed both programs pain free and feeling stronger than before my injuries.
During the program there was constant communication and follow up and they were very accommodating with my work schedule.
All in all it was a very holistic experience and I would highly recommend the service.

Kiri Canavan

07:30 08 Jun 22

Tyson was amazing! We came up with an 8 week plan at my first consultation with weekly check ins and updates to exercises. 8 weeks later, I am pain free and able to train harder than ever. Highly recommend and the staff are all fantastic and super accomodating!

How Do We Treat Head Knocks at Fighting Fit?

This is the last blog in our Concussion series, and we’re going to explore how to recover from a concussion injury and what we do here at Fighting Fit Physiotherapy

Rest for Concussion

Nutrition for Concussion

Return of cognitive demands following concussion

This phase of recovery sees a graded return to activities that require concentration, effort and focus. We break down into 4 main phases:

Return to exercise following a concussion

Returning of physical and cognitive demands will often overlap as we return to normal activities, particularly in return to sport situations.

Physiotherapy for Concussion

Many people do not realise that physiotherapy is the go to profession for concussion and head injuries.

Physiotherapy treatment with manual therapy and specific graded exercise will effectively treat these other areas.

Remember, a concussion presents in many ways.

Addressing Vestibular Dysfunction in Concussion

The Importance of Metabolic Testing for Athletes: Why You Should Be Testing, Not Guessing

Shoulder Pain? Physiotherapy Can Help You Move Better and Feel Stronger

Understanding Frozen Shoulder — and How Injections & Physio Can Help

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