What is concussion rehabilitation?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. Concussions may cause short-term and long-term physical (body), cognitive (thinking) and behavioral symptoms and problems. Every concussion is considered a serious injury by health care providers. If you have experienced a head injury, seek medical help immediately.
Your treatment plan will depend on the severity of your concussion and the diagnosis by your provider. However, concussion rehabilitation can include physical therapy to help address your physical symptoms post-concussion, as well as speech therapy to help with cognitive and communication functioning.
Why is concussion rehabilitation necessary?
A concussion occurs when a force strikes the head or the body. They most commonly occur via sports injury, falls, motor vehicle accidents and domestic violence/assaults. Symptoms can start immediately or take hours to a few days to appear. Symptoms can affect your physical, emotional and mental well-being. Knowing the signs can help people access care as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Concussion is most often diagnosed through careful testing by your health care provider, such as a physical therapist and/or speech language pathologist. Your provider may decide concussion rehabilitation can help your recovery, especially if you are displaying any of these concussion symptoms:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Problems with balance/coordination
- Light and sound sensitivity
- Blurred or double vision
- Changes in sleep, fatigue
- Brain “fog”
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes to short term or long-term memory
- Mood swings/irritability
- Anxiety and depression
- Changes in personality
Please seek help at once if you have experienced a head injury and are displaying any of these symptoms.
Why choose Sentara?
Our experienced physical therapists can evaluate and treat many problems related to concussions. A physical therapist will examine your neurological, orthopedic and cardiovascular systems to best prescribe a routine to address your specific symptoms and needs.
Our speech language pathologists will evaluate cognitive communication abilities to determine the right treatments. Their goal is to help individuals post-concussion regain independence in thinking, communicating and functioning in daily life and return to prior activities such as school or work.
Services and treatments
While your exact treatment plan will depend on your evaluation and diagnosis, concussion rehabilitation treatments may include, but are not limited to:
- Vestibular retraining
- Balance training
- Cardiovascular assessment and aerobic activity (return to sport)
- Manual techniques to address joint and soft tissue restrictions
- Vision retraining
- Stretching and mobility exercises
- Strength and conditioning
- Memory and cognitive retraining
- Information processing
- Return-to-work energy conservation techniques
Find a location
- Sentara Therapy Center - Centerville
- Sentara Therapy Center - Healthy Way
- Sentara Therapy Center - Lynnhaven
- Sentara Therapy Center – Marina Shores
- Sentara Therapy Center - Neuro Rehab
- Sentara Primary Care & Therapy Center - Oceanfront
- Sentara Therapy Center - Orthopedics & Sports Performance
- Sentara Primary Care & Therapy Center - Town Center