Elevate Physical Theraphy & Fitness

Concussions Part 4: Concussion Treatment

Following the diagnosis of concussion, patient and symptom-specific treatment is utilized to address the
presenting impairments of each patient. It is a typical recommendation to implement activity
modifications or restrictions during early management following a concussion.

This period, which may last between 0-3 days, commonly involves recommendations for rest; altering school, work, and daily
activities; limiting reading, television, video games, and computer use; and avoiding exertion, but decisions regarding these recommendations are based on symptom response.

After this period of activity modification, presentation-specific treatment is typically implemented based
on the patient’s symptoms and examination findings. Although treatments related to neck pain,
vestibular-ocular dysfunction, and physiologic conditioning are commonly implemented in physical
therapy, patient education, such as sleep and stress management strategies, and physician referrals are
common in the management of patients with concussion.
The video demonstrates various management strategies for several types of concussion seen in the
physical therapy setting. Each treatment is specifically tailored to each patient to maximize their outcomes!