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Post-Concussion Syndrome Treatment
The True Brain approach to Post-Concussion Syndrome treatment is above all, personal. While the basics of concussion are universal, each person’s injury and their complex of physical, biochemical and emotional responses are unique. To heal the concussed brain, especially for people with persistent post concussion symptoms, those unique responses must be recognized and understood. From there, a plan can be made to lessen harmful patterns and augment positive healing pathways.
There is no “one size fits all” treatment protocol for post-concussion syndrome. Nor is there one individual treatment that will clear all the symptoms of any one person. That being said, Dr. Smith does divide concussion treatment into three basic stages.
Post-Concussion Syndrome Diagnosis
The definitions of post concussion syndrome is simply concussion symptoms that last over 10 days. This would include a huge group of people, many of which may heal on their own given a few more weeks. That being said, there is no way of knowing who will recover in a month without care and who will not. Unfortunately, many people are told to just rest and return to work, school or play once their symptoms go away. This is a missed opportunity to speed recovery or prevent PCS.
The diagnosis of PCS is quite simple, but the combination of symptoms possible is nearly infinite. The true challenge is getting to the root of individual symptoms and seeing their relationships. To help Dr. Smith do this, you will be provided with in depth intake forms. Ugh. Nobody likes filling out forms, but you probably like PCS less. It is often helpful to have a trusted individual assist you with the forms, reading the questions and writing your responses. If you are comfortable with the idea, this person can also serve as ongoing support. They can attend appointment with you to listen and help you remember things later. It is also very nice to have a sounding board and someone to check in with to help keep you on track with your treatment.
Once returned Dr. Smith will review your forms closely to get a general picture of your individual situation. Next you will meet with Dr. Smith not only to go deeper on what you wrote, but for him to get to know you a little bit. Your personality and emotional state may have been affected by your injuries and will influence your progress. To form a real partnership for healing, it is important that Dr. Smith understands you to some degree as a person.
From there you move on to step two…
The Healing Mindset
Healing from concussion and Post-concussion Syndrome is not just a physical challenge. It is a cognitive and emotional challenge. Having been through it himself, Dr. Smith recognizes the importance of this aspect of healing from Post-concussion Syndrome.
Without a healing mindset, it is too easy to lose motivation or fall into despair. To address this, Dr. Smith provides guidance in terms of not just how to heal, but also how to manage your mental energy and stay positive about your progress.
Controlling Brain Inflammation
Brain cells are damaged by concussion and this causes symptoms, however, many concussion symptoms result more from the secondary response to that initial damage. That secondary response is neuroinflammation. There are many possible contributors to brain inflammation, not just within the brain, but in the body as a whole. This is especially true in cases of Post-Concussion Syndrome in which ongoing brain inflammation creates ongoing concussion symptoms.
Dr. Smith takes a Functional Medicine approach to neuroinflammation. In your second meeting with Dr. Smith, you will receive your own personalized PCS treatment plan. This will include lifestyle, dietary and supplement recommendations. If other systems of the body are contributing to nervous system inflammation, other treatment methods such as acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chiropractic or cranial therapy may be recommended. Blood, saliva or urine tests may be needed to determine the need for specific treatments. Ideally, you will then check in with Dr. Smith on a regular basis to monitor progress and make changes as needed.
Many symptoms of concussion will clear completely once brain inflammation is under control. This is because neuroinflammation not only causes many symptoms itself, it also is an obstacle to brain plasticity – the formation of new neural pathways.
Rehabilitation for Concussion
Symptoms that do not clear with reduced neuroinflammation may need targeted neurorehabilitation. These are therapies that promote brain plasticity. You may have already tried some of these modalities, however, their effectiveness will be greatly increased once neuroinflammation is under control. These may include, neuro-physical therapy, neuro-optometry, cognitive exercises and more.
True Brain Concussion Center does not provide these services, but Dr. Smith can make personalized recommendations and referrals. At this point you may benefit from an occasional check in with Dr. Smith regarding other recommendations and referrals, mindset or either dietary, lifestyle or supplementation changes, but basically, you will have graduated from the True Brain program.
We look forward to helping you along your healing journey. If you have questions on True Brain’s approach to Post-concussion syndrome treatment, please feel free to reach out to us through the contact form on our Request Help page. Thank you.