Complete Concussion Management

Written on Friday, July 22nd, 2016

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The ACCEL Physiotherapy and Sport Performance Centre is an official Complete Concussion Management™ clinic.  As concussions have become the focus for both professional and amateur athletes around the world, we wanted to be at the forefront of research-proven concussion prevention, diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation.

What is a concussion?
A concussion can be simply defined as a disruption in neurological functioning following a significant impact to the head or elsewhere on the body.  This causes a biochemical imbalance within brain cells as well as decreased blood flow and temporary energy deficits within the brain.

Following a suspected concussion, a player should be immediately removed from play, assessed and placed on complete rest in order to recover from the energy deficit.  Studies have shown that any activity, both mental and physical, in the immediate days following concussion can delay the process of recovery and should be avoided until the athlete is completely symptom free.

Complete Concussion Management™:
Complete Concussion Management™ is a concussion research company that educates healthcare practitioners on cutting-edge concussion therapies and management strategies based on the most current medical research so that they may provide the highest quality of concussion treatment and follow-up.

Services:
– Comprehensive Baseline Testing
– Post-injury diagnosis and injury management
– Concussion rehabilitation for chronic symptoms (Post-Concussion Syndrome)
– Coach & trainer education and certification programs

What is baseline testing?
The biggest concern surrounding concussions comes from the energy deficit that occurs in the brain following injury.  When the brain is in this low energy state, it has been well established that the brain is extremely vulnerable to additional trauma, where even smaller impacts can lead to another and often more severe concussion.

The problem is that symptoms (meaning how someone feels) do not coincide with brain recovery.  The only way to know when the brain has fully recovered and out of this “vulnerable period” is to compare current brain function to when the individual was healthy; this is what is known as a “baseline test”.

A baseline test is a battery of tests that measures every area of brain function that could potentially become affected following a concussion (you need more than computer tests).  The reason that the test is termed a “baseline” is because it is done BEFORE the athlete gets injured.  In order to know when an athlete has fully recovered, we first have to know where they were when they were healthy.  Without having this information, there is no way to truly know when an athlete has fully recovered and is safe to return to their sport.

The ACCEL Centre can complete individual baseline testing as part of a regular healthcare appointment and takes between 20 and 30 minutes. Testing for larger groups or entire sports teams can also be completed for preferred rates and within a compact time frame.

Ask us for more information on how we can help you or your team with these services.

Learn more about Complete Concussion Management at completeconcussions.com/

 

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