Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that requires immediate emergency medical care. This can help minimize the risk for serious damage to the brain, and following the ER doctor’s orders maximizes your chances for a full recovery. Yet even with a proactive approach and prompt support following concussion, sometimes healing and recovery don’t progress as they should. Lingering concussion symptoms such as headaches, emotional problems, dizziness and difficulties with balance can affect well-being and quality of life for weeks, months or even indefinitely if left untreated.
Functional neurology can help individuals recover as fully as possible following concussion. This is a different type of support than the acute care provided at the time of an injury. The focus is on determining what areas of the brain have been injured or affected by concussion. Functional neurologists take advantage of sophisticated tools and techniques that measure brain function in very specific ways. A functional neurologist can identify the reasons why recovery is not happening in the case of ongoing symptoms.
After function is thoroughly evaluated, the next step is determining how best the brain may be helped to heal and recover impaired function. Neuroplasticity refers to the capacity of the brain to change and adapt as a result of interactions with the environment. Connections among the cells in the brain continually reorganize in a dynamic process. Functional neurologists take advantage of neuroplasticity to facilitate healing through customized therapeutic support.
Functional neurology relies on non-invasive therapies to promote concussion recovery. These therapies are natural, gentle and safe, and do not involve any side-effects or risks. They target areas of the brain or nervous system, stimulating or calming them through various sensory experiences that encourage new connections to be formed.
As a patient working with a functional neurologist, you can expect a plan of therapeutic support that is customized to your precise needs. You will be told the objectives of the therapy, how and why it will help, and how improvements will be measured. Testing will determine whether or not brain function is improving, and adjustments to your plan of care can be made as needed to maximize recovery.
Functional neurology offers a solution for many individuals who continue to struggle with ongoing concussion symptoms, including those who haven’t had great results with other types of care. It may help whether the concussion occurred a few weeks ago, a couple of months back, or several years in the past. The comprehensive, in-depth evaluation and customized therapeutic support functional neurologists provide is based on the latest research. Today there may be a solution available that can help you recover and heal, even if you were told there was nothing more that could be done to help you in the past.