You’ve just experienced a very abrupt and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Whether it’s a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) or a more severe head injury, you want to know about the best concussion treatment methods.
In this post, you won’t find any recommendations to treat concussion symptoms with acetaminophen, Tylenol, or ibuprofen. Nonetheless, the CDC has ample information about concussion recovery using these methods. Today, we’re discussing concussion treatments that are drug-free and aimed at helping you recover from a loss of consciousness.
5 Holistic Concussion Treatment Methods
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), timely recognition and appropriate response are important in treating a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) or concussion.
The sooner a parent, coach, or health care provider help someone recognize they may have experienced a concussion, the less likely the risk serious head injuries will occur.
The best concussion treatment method is first and foremost recognizing the signs of a concussion.
Range of Motion Exercises
Head trauma caused by incidents like sports injuries can result in brain swelling. For this reason, the last thing you want to do is incorporate physical activity exercises that are going to put stress on the brain.
Instead, most healthcare professionals and athletic trainers would agree that light range of motion stretches and exercises are all you need to begin concussion treatment.
Again, these are simple range of motion exercises. You’ll move your head to the left, to the right, up, and down. You’re just looking to get normal motion back into the spine.
Why?
The brain is like a GPS. The human body has receptors on every muscle and joint. They’re called proprioceptors.
When you experience a whiplash injury, the pain will disrupt the messages sent to proprioceptors.
In medical terminology, a traumatic brain injury will hinder the neuromuscular junctions. So, the brain can’t fire to the body, which results in balance problems.
Concussions caused by whiplash can disengage that proprioceptor process. This is why stimulating the brain through a light range of motion exercises is one drug-free concussion treatment method to consider.
Stability Exercises
Once you’ve recovered more, about 45-60 days after the concussion, then stability exercises are recommended. Stability exercises are a natural, drug-free concussion treatment method commonly seen in medical care.
The purpose of stability exercises is to put someone who experienced a head injury into an unstable environment. Thus, these exercises are meant to help stimulate the brain to fire those proprioceptors.
You could start a stability exercise by lifting one leg off the ground to test your balance and gain stability. Once you’ve mastered a leg lift, you can then move on to exercises such as light leg curls. With time, you can gradually increase the intensity of these stability exercises.
Other popular stability exercises include things like a BOSU ball or wobble board, that can help stimulate the brain’s ability to balance itself in different environments.
Rest
The American Academy of Neurology, an authority on sports-related concussion and symptoms of concussion, says that the foundation of concussion treatment includes rest.
According to a paper published by AAN, “sleep and quiet rest should be encouraged. Excessive stimulation (e.g., exposure to loud noises or bright lights) should be avoided when possible.”
In other words, no video games or contact sports while recovering from a concussion.
Medical Intervention
If you’ve experienced a head injury, a visit to the emergency room may be in order. There, medical professionals can conduct a CT Scan, X-Rays, and offer further medical advice around concussion management. They can also equip you with headgear, if necessary, to prevent further serious injury.
An upper cervical care chiropractor can be another medical professional when considering natural concussion treatment methods. People who experience a sports concussion or car accident are common clients of a chiropractor.
Using an X-Ray, a chiropractor can see whether you have signs of neck injuries commonly associated with concussions. Then, they can provide you with relief of neck pain and headaches along your recovery timeline.
If you suspect that you or someone you know has a concussion, seek the expert medical advice of Dr. Collins at Begin Within.
Begin Within is a family wellness center in Scottsdale, Arizona, that specializes in upper cervical rehabilitation. With Dr. Collins, you will create a treatment plan to address any residual neck or head pain. Most importantly, Dr. Collins will treat the cause of your pain to improve your overall well being an quality of life.
For more information on how you can schedule your complimentary consultation, feel free to contact the staff at Begin Within today by giving them a call at (480) 699-3086.
