Concussion Management

Concussion Management

Ovens Valley Physio is a proud clinic of the Complete Concussion Management Inc.™ (CCMI) Partnership Program – a network of clinics around the world offering evidence-based concussion care. 

From initial pre-season baseline testing to concussion treatment and rehabilitation, as partnered CCMI practitioners, we collaborate with primary care physicians to co-manage concussions, helping patients and athletes safely return to learn, work and play.

What is concussion?

A concussion is a brain injury caused by acceleration or deceleration of the brain
following a significant impact to the head or elsewhere on the body. The impact
causes dysfunction within brain cells and decreased blood flow, resulting in
temporary deficits in brain function.

Symptoms may include loss of consciousness, headache, pressure in the head, neck
pain, nausea or vomiting, cognitive problems, dizziness, or balance problems,
among others.

To further understand what a concussion is, watch this video for a deeper
explanation from Dr. Cameron Marshall (@Concussion_Doc)!

How Can We Help?

Following a concussion injury, it is recommended that you seek the care of a
healthcare professional with training and experience in concussion as soon as
possible. In fact, recent studies have concluded that one of the best predictors of
concussion recovery was how fast you were assessed at a concussion clinic.

The earlier you seek quality concussion care, the better your recovery will be.

Generally, a period of relative “symptom-limited” physical and cognitive rest is
recommended for the first 24-48 hours after injury. After this rest period, a gradual
increase in mental and physical activity is recommended. For optimal recovery, this
process should be directed and supervised by a licensed healthcare practitioner
trained in concussion management.

If symptoms of a concussion are still present after 7 to 10 days, an individualized
treatment and rehabilitation program should be initiated.

As part of our Complete Concussions program, we offer a full-suite of evidence-
based concussion treatment services & strategies including:

• Balance Rehab
• Nutritional interventions
• Vision Rehab
• Cognitive Testing
• Integrated Manual Therapy
• Exercise Rehab
• Return to School, Work and Sport
• Pre-season Testing
• Educational resources

Pre-season Baseline Testing

Multimodal pre-season testing (AKA Baseline Concussion Testing) is a series of
physical and cognitive tests that provide a pre-injury overview of healthy brain
function. In other words, we test your balance, your reaction time, your memory,
your visual tracking speed, and a whole bunch of other brain functions. This gives us
a map of how your brain functions when you are healthy.

If you sustain a concussion, we can use your pre-injury results to see not only where
the deficits are, but how much deficit exists. This can help us both with our
treatment strategy and with developing a better understanding of when you’re brain
has recovered and you are safe to return to your sport.

It’s important to remember that not all baseline testing is created equal. The Complete Concussions protocol is unique in that it combines the best evidence-based tools available so that you are getting the most complete brain map available.