When you are suffering from the after-effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or a concussion, it can hold you back from doing not only the things you need to do, like work and school, but everything else you enjoy. Your social life, hobbies, and interests may have all come grinding to a halt as you focus on healing, but it doesn’t have to be that way with the proper treatment.
A traumatic brain injury is damage to the brain caused by an external physical force such as a blow or jolt to the head during a car accident, workplace accident, or slip and fall. Even a mild concussion can be serious. Don’t suffer in silence when Naples Community Injury Center offers TBI/concussion therapy on Marco Island that can change your life.
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Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Concussions Explained
A concussion is a mild form of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that causes the head and brain to move back and forth rapidly. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain.
Common causes of traumatic brain injuries include falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, and assaults. Symptoms of a TBI may include headache, dizziness, confusion, memory problems, nausea, and loss of consciousness. Most concussions resolve within 7-10 days, but with more severe brain injuries, recovery may take longer.
Repeated concussions can result in lasting problems. Both concussions and more severe forms of TBI require prompt medical attention to check for brain bleeds or damage. Monitoring and cognitive rest are crucial during recovery. You may also benefit from receiving TBI and concussion treatment from a chiropractor or physiotherapist.
What Can Happen If You Leave a Concussion or TBI Untreated?
It’s important to get treatment if you suffer a traumatic brain injury or concussion, and not just in the immediate aftermath of your accident. Even if you went to the emergency room and followed your doctor’s orders, you may still suffer from ongoing symptoms that require further care. You could also develop new symptoms related to the injury.
Some complications you can experience if you leave a concussion or TBI untreated include:
- Post-concussion syndrome: Persisting symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and cognitive impairment lasting over a month after injury.
- Cumulative damage from repeated concussions: Each new concussion compounds effects, risking extensive neurological decline.
- Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: Progressive degenerative brain disease from repetitive head impacts. It causes cognitive, mood, and behavioral issues.
- Early-onset dementia: Brain trauma is linked to a higher risk of developing dementia at a younger age.
- Movement disorders: Research ties head trauma to increased risk of Parkinson’s, tremors, and vertigo.
- Mental health disorders: Increased likelihood of developing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and personality changes.
- Vision and hearing problems: Damage to ocular and auditory systems can cause impairment.
- Seizures: Traumatic injury is a common cause of post-traumatic epilepsy.
- Chronic pain: Headaches, neck pain, and dizziness may become long-lasting or permanent.
TBI/concussion rehab therapy can help improve your outcome after an accident. The cumulative effects of concussions and brain trauma highlight the importance of proper diagnosis, rest, and recovery after any head injury to avoid compounding damage.
Benefits of Concussion and TBI Therapy
You may experience many benefits after concussion and TBI therapy on Marco Island. Some of the main benefits traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients may experience include:
Reduces Acute Symptoms Like Headaches And Dizziness
Therapeutic techniques can provide relief for common post-concussion symptoms that affect function. For example, manual therapy alleviates headaches and vertigo from neck injuries. Vision therapy aids visual tracking issues.
Restore Your Cognitive Function and Motor Skills
Your TBI rehab may include cognitive rehabilitation through occupational therapy, which retrains the brain and teaches compensatory strategies to rebuild concentration, memory, and information processing deficits.
We may also use physical therapy to help reestablish your coordination, balance, and motor planning through gait training, assistive devices, and repetition of purposeful movements.
Offer You Holistic Healing While Preventing Complications
Your team will also offer you multidisciplinary therapies that address the complex physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects of living with a TBI for comprehensive healing. By taking steps toward early rehabilitation, we can use gentle activity to prevent complications of immobility you may suffer in the future, like blood clots, muscle atrophy, and pneumonia.
Improve Your Quality of Life
Most of all, the goal of concussion and TBI rehab therapy in Marco Island is to improve the quality of your life. Therapy can empower you to achieve the highest level of functioning possible after your injury, overcoming any disabilities you are living with through adaptation.
How TBI/Concussion Rehab in Marco Island Works
TBI and concussion rehab therapy works by rebuilding and retraining any affected areas of your body’s muscle system to rebuild and strengthen them using chiropractor care and other therapies. Your medical team will determine your needs during your first appointment. The team could consist of:
- Medical doctors
- A neurosurgeon
- Chiropractors
- Physician assistants
- Chiropractic physician assistants
This initial exam allows us to create a personalized treatment plan for your needs. Your team’s goal during your customized TBI and concussion rehab will be to help you recover your full range of movement and function.
Marco Island TBI Treatment Options
Some treatments we may use for concussion and TBI rehab include:
Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy
If you have a weak limb, your treatment team may use this therapy to help strengthen it by limiting the use of your stronger limbs. It forces you to use the weaker limb to regain strength and function.
Treadmill Training
Your treatment team may use weight-controlled treadmill training with a harness so you can walk on a treadmill without bearing your total weight or needing to maintain your balance. This lets you relearn walking movements to rebuild your leg strength.
Constraint-Induced Language Therapy
Constraint-induced language therapy helps you to relearn speaking, swallowing, and other communication after a brain injury. Your treatment team may use this type of therapy if you are struggling to swallow or communicate verbally.
Eye Movement Exercises
We do eye movement exercise therapy to help your eye coordination, balance, and dizziness issues. This can help with mobility and balance problems after a TBI or concussion.
Our Marco Island TBI/Concussion Therapy Team Is Ready to Schedule Your Intake Exam
The Naples Community Injury Center team is ready to schedule your intake appointment for Marco Island TBI/Concussion rehabilitation. We provide cutting-edge rehabilitation therapies that can help you regain your mobility and independence after an accident. If you’re ready to regain your cognitive abilities after a traumatic brain injury, we are here for you.
