Acute Management ~ Let's do it right!

We are pretty decent in the sports world of identifying concussion and having our athletes enter a concussion protocol, but what about the general public?  ANYONE can get a concussion - it can come from a fall, a motor vehicle accident, a workplace injury and the list goes on.  

Remember a concussion comes when an external force to the head OR body that transmits to the brain to cause sheering, twisting leading to functional neurological disturbances.  ALSO remember that the symptoms of concussion can be delayed for up to six hours.   These are the individuals that tend to fall through the cracks - that don't realize they have a concussion so they keep going with their daily life.  What they do realize, however, is that they feel "weird" or "off" and so they make an appointment with their general practitioner.  

I don't about where you are, but for me I can have to wait up to two weeks to see my doctor - that would be TWO WEEKS of poor acute concussion management!  TWO WEEKS where you could have been following a proper guideline and be well on your way to recovery.  

Friends - if you identify and recognize that you're experiencing a cluster of symptoms that could be a concussion WHY do you need to wait for your doctor to confirm it?  Why don't you be your OWN Brain Champion and take care of yourself from the get-go?  

Lets review the most common Signs & Symptoms of Concussion

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Pressure in the head
• "feeling off" or "not like myself"
• Memory issues 
• Visual issues (blurred vision, double vision)
• Challenges with screens 
• Light sensitivity 

Red Flag Issues - a trip to emergency

Just to be safe - if you experience any of these symptoms a trip to the emergency department is in order.   The physicians may or may not order additional imaging to rule out anything more dire, but it's always better to be safe. 

• Loss of consciousness
• worsening headache
• worsening neck pain
• seizure
• vomiting
• any fluid coming from the ears
• weakness or tingling in the arms

The first 24-48 hours 

In this first stage the important thing is rest.  Your brain has an injury, and just like if you tore a muscle or twisted an ankle - you need to rest the body part.  But what does this look like for the brain, I mean, you use it all the time!? 

Rest - cognitive and physical 

• sleep -  gone are the days of waking someone up every two hours. Let yourself sleep
• stay hydrated
• eat healthy whole foods
• significantly limit your screen time 
• avoid any busy social situations 
• limit your driving 
• stay home from work/school 

What you CAN do

• communicate to your family and colleagues what has happend
• mindfulness - a powerful tool in calming your nervous system.  Some of my favourite apps to help with this process include CALM and HEADSPACE.  That being said there are also TONS on you tube that you can simply just listen to the audio
• listen to audio books or pod casts

48 hours and beyond....

At this point you want to begin a GRADUAL reintroduction of activity.  I can not stress the gradual part enough! Commonly this is the window where people start to feel good so they forget about gradual and jump back into their life fully and then flare symptoms up.   Aerobic exercise has been shown to increase the speed of recovery - and it has been shown in the studies to safe to begin as soon as 4 days after your concussion.  The key though - is that you do so at a level that stays below symptom aggravation in all that you do in this stage.  

What does gradual look like? Some examples could be:

• beginning with short walks several times a day
• reading for 10 -20mins
• starting to do some work on the computer
• doing some school work at home or playing a board game

CATT ONLINE is a FABULOUS resource for helping provide frameworks for gradual reintroduction of activity, work, learn and sport.  If you are finding it challenging to progress yourself gradually reach out to a health care provider to assist you!  Remember- proper acute management will delay your recovery time. 

Resources

CATT ONLINE WEBSITE 

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