Brain Injury

Teach:Exercise tolerance thresholds are important diagnostics for a variety of diseases and injuries, including concussion. Be aware, however, that there are variables that can confound the results of an exercise tolerance assessment. Cervicogenic dizziness or a balance deficit of central origin will certainly impact someone’s ability to perform on a treadmill. Inform your exertional testing with vestibular assessments to get a clearer picture of your patient’s health.

If exertion tolerance assessments or mild exercise are going to be a part of a patient’s therapy regimen, take stock of their athletic history. A patient might be more comfortable or experienced with one form of exercise than another. This information can help you make a decision about how to incorporate exercise into their treatment.

Concussions are a heterogeneous class of injury. There are published clinical profiles for the various types of concussions, and treatments for these unique profiles are not ‘one size fits all.’ It’s important that therapy and treatment are designed to target the specific needs of a concussion patient.

Unfortunately, it’s common for a child who has been hospitalized with a concussion not to receive the follow up rehabilitation they need to fully recover from the injury. Children from lower income households and those suffering from preexisting neurological conditions are at the highest risk of missing out on critical post-hospital care.

Clinicians have a variety of tools at their disposal to measure and diagnose vestibular deficits after a brain injury. But scientists are still working to understand the physiological mechanisms of these injuries. Knowledge of the chemical and morphological changes that occur immediately after trauma may even help us develop pharmacological interventions that could mitigate lasting neurological damage.

mTBI can spell long term disruption in a patient’s life. Fortunately, randomized control trials have shown that vestibular rehabilitation therapy can increase the speed at which a patient recovers from an injury.

Patients can suffer the cognitive, physical, and psychological effects of a head injury long after the event. But it’s never too late to try to alleviate a patient’s symptom burden with rehabilitation therapy. Therapy targeted at the symptoms of a chronic brain injury can increase a patient’s quality of life even years after the injury.

The latent effects of a brain injury can undermine a patient’s quality of life. Motion insensitivity, a lack of balance confidence, and even mild dizziness can limit the mobility of an otherwise healthy adult.

These symptoms don’t feel benign on their own, and together they can even predispose a patient to a fall.

There’s consensus that vestibular and oculomotor (VOM) screening should be a part of all concussion diagnostic batteries. Conveniently for emergency departments across the country, these evaluations can be performed by a host of providers including physicians, therapists, nurses, and audiologists.

It’s possible to find alternative scoring methods for a single diagnostic in the literature. This is the case for the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) assessment, a measure commonly used in the acute period of a concussion. It’s important to understand the method that you use in a protocol, and the reason for using it.

Concussion is one of the most common causes of bilateral benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in young people. If you’re trained in the maneuvers that treat BPPV, you can help these patients reestablish equilibrium in a matter of minutes.

The severity of a brain injury can’t be overstated. There is evidence in animals that traumatic brain injuries can cause a signal cascade that leads to cerebral ischemia. Ischemia is inadequate blood supply, and is the reason for tissue death in the heart and brain during heart attacks and strokes, respectively.

Patient:It’s never too late to seek help for a brain injury. A course of rehabilitation therapy (VRT) might be able to address the chronic symptoms of an injury that happened years ago.

Don’t let a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) disrupt your life for longer than it already has. Rehabilitation therapy can change the time it takes to recover from one of these injuries.

Traditional neurological therapy for a concussion is critical, but it can be accompanied by vestibular therapy that addresses a different symptom load. Ask a provider about augmenting your treatment plan.

If your child has been diagnosed with a brain injury or concussion, it’s critical that their care doesn’t stop when you leave the hospital. Talk to a provider about the rehabilitation therapy.

Recovery from a brain injury doesn’t occur immediately, and it doesn’t always occur spontaneously. Talk to a provider about strategically addressing your unique injury with a course of rehabilitation therapy.

No two concussions are alike. Check in with your provider or therapist to see how your course of therapy is addressing your needs.

Concussions can cause dizziness in a number of ways. Ensure that you see a professional who can determine the source of your symptoms and design the appropriate treatment plan.

Dizziness and sound sensitivity after a concussion can predict a longer recovery time. It’s important that you report these audiovestibular symptoms to a provider so they can adjust your treatment plan accordingly.