Concussion Care

Patient Care – What to Expect

After a concussion, our team will evaluate your symptoms and create a custom recovery plan. When you choose Carolinas Rehabilitation, you’ll benefit from:

• Coordinated, wide-ranging expertise: Our team offers ongoing support throughout your recovery. Every month, the team evaluates each patient’s care plan and makes any adjustment that can help you heal. If we think you could benefit from additional support, we can connect you with other specialists and resources.
• A tradition of excellence: We have decades of experience specializing in concussion treatment and we’re known in the community for our exceptional care. Our reputation can help give you the confidence you need to trust in your recovery.
• Treatment tailored to you: We take the time to get to know you, your support system, and what gets you out of bed in the morning. Then we tailor treatment to your lifestyle and help you get back to the activities you love.
• Comprehensive care: Many of our patients need help that goes beyond immediate medical care. This can include extra help at school, or help with finding or changing jobs. Many patients also benefit from mental health support as they recover. We can connect you with resources and providers at Atrium Health and in your community to help you get the support you need.
• Research and innovation: We offer the latest, most effective therapies — and we’re always looking for ways to make them better. Our team consistently reviews, discusses and adjusts our care to reflect the latest research on concussions and other brain injuries.

About Concussions: Causes and Symptoms

A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow or forceful movement of the head, often because of a car accident, fall or sports injury. The symptoms can be subtle or pronounced, depending on how severe the concussion is. We can help you address all types of concussion symptoms, including:

• Balance problems and dizziness
• Headaches
• Feeling irritable, frustrated or anxious
• Memory and focus problems
• Nausea
• Sleep problems
• Vision problems, like double vision or sensitivity to light

Concussion Care and Treatment

Early treatment — for mild and severe concussions — can help you feel better and prevent more serious problems in the future. Many of our patients recover within a few weeks to a few months. We have the expertise to help you every step of the way, no matter how long your recovery takes.

Treating Mild Concussions

Concussion care often starts with good self-care, including:

• Rest: Good sleep is essential for a good recovery, but too much rest can actually slow recovery. We’ll help you find the right balance and can recommend ways to get a better night’s sleep.
• Drinking plenty of water: Staying hydrated is crucial after a concussion. It helps your brain work better and can help you think more clearly and may lessen the intensity of headaches.
• Eating well: Healthy foods positively affect your digestion and how well you think and feel.
• Exercise: It’s important to get back into an exercise routine after a concussion. We can help you develop a gradual plan for you to safely return to activity.
• Lowering stress: Making time to relax can help your body heal. You might try listening to music, taking a walk with a friend or family member, or sitting in a quiet space.

Treating More Severe Concussions

Depending on your symptoms, we may recommend testing to evaluate your vision, thinking abilities and motor skills. These assessments help us get to know you and outline ways to help you recover.

Sometimes, your symptoms or tests could indicate that you need more treatment. This could include:

• Cognitive therapy: To help with attention, memory, speed of processing and thinking endurance
• Medicines: To help with headaches, mood, focus, attention and memory
• Mental health therapy: To help when a concussion causes mood changes
• Physical therapy: To help with pain, and any loss of strength, balance or movement
• Vision therapy: To help with problems like double vision and scanning issues that may impact your safety, ability to read and use a computer

Your Concussion Care Team

Our team of specialists works together to help you with all aspects of brain injuries. The team includes:

• Physiatrists who specialize in treating brain injuries, can diagnose your condition and develop a custom treatment plan. The concussion clinic physiatrist is board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and brain injury medicine. This means they’re highly specialized in helping patients like you overcome brain injuries. They coordinate and oversee the different types of care you need. We are one of only a few programs with a care team led by a physiatrist.
• Neuropsychologists who can evaluate brain function issues that concussions can cause, like problems with attention, processing speed, and memory. They can also identify other problems that may impact your brain function that mimic concussion symptoms. We use neuropsychological testing to help develop a personalized treatment plan and repeat testing to track your progress.
• Physical therapists who assess balance and movement issues and help manage pain and headaches. They help you develop a safe, gradual return to exercise and help you reduce dizziness after a concussion.
• Speech-language pathologists who evaluate and address difficulties with memory, thinking and attention. They help you better understand if your concussion has impacted how you think and offer ways to fix and manage these difficulties.
• Occupational therapists who specialize in teaching you personalized, practical ways to get back to daily life. They also evaluate vision problems such as your ability to see, move your eyes and process visual information. This team can help you make changes to your environment such as moving furniture to avoid falls or adjusting lighting at your work station.