Immediate medical care is very important if you’ve suffered a concussion. As a traumatic brain injury, a concussion must be taken seriously and there is no time for delay. There are serious risks involved in even minor head injuries, especially if a second concussion occurs before an initial one has properly healed. Never take a wait and see approach; visit the emergency room or seek out other appropriate care right away when concussion is a possibility.
Once your condition has been stabilized, additional care can help ensure someone who’s suffered a traumatic brain injury recovers fully. Concussions may involve symptoms at the time of the injury such as headaches, nausea or balance problems. Sometimes symptoms linger, too, and can negatively impact quality of life weeks, months or even years after the trauma occurred. Proper care and support will take advantage of every opportunity to help the brain heal and recover as swiftly as possible.
Functional neurology is an excellent choice for concussion care that goes beyond what most individuals receive from practitioners in standard medicine. Functional neurology does not use pharmaceuticals to attempt to manage symptoms. There is no guesswork involved in care. The right kind of testing can evaluate brain function in very precise ways to determine what areas of the brain have been injured or need support. Sophisticated tools and therapeutic techniques can then be utilized to help the brain form new connections as needed. This is far different from trying to manage pain, dizziness, emotional disturbances or other symptoms through medications.
There are no side-effects or risks involved in the type of non-invasive, completely natural therapeutic support a functional neurologist provides. Once it is determined where support is needed, those areas of the brain and nervous system are targeted. Therapy involves stimulating or calming those areas through various sensory experiences. Symptoms typically fade as function is improved.
Functional neurologists use brain based therapies to help concussion patients in customized ways. No two individuals are exactly alike, and neither are their injuries or health conditions. Care that is personalized maximizes the potential for recovery. It also makes adjusting a plan of care as needed possible, because individual results are checked and evaluated regularly. Changes to the individual’s care plan can be made as needed to get the best possible results.
Concussion care isn’t always just a matter of being checked out right away and then waiting a few days to get back to normal. An in-depth, comprehensive care plan can help ensure full recovery, minimizing the risk of continuing to struggle with ongoing symptoms long term. Even if the brain injury occurred long ago, a functional neurologist may be able to help by taking advantage of the brain’s neuroplasticity—the ability to form new connections.