Conditions > Concussion
Treating a Concussion
If you suffered a hit to the head or a whiplash injury and you temporarily lost consciousness, or may not remember the incident, or may recall the incident but experience a decline in your cognitive abilities in the days, hours, minutes after the event, you may have experienced a concussion.
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How serious is a mild concussion?
A concussion is a brain injury and can be very serious. If left untreated, a concussion can result in cognitive problems and, in cases where another concussion occurs before complete recovery from a previous concussion takes place, a concussion can be fatal.
The good news is that with proper rest and treatment, you can fully recover from a concussion.
What is a mild concussion?
A concussion is a mild brain injury that occurs when you experience a sudden or traumatic force to your head or body, which causes your brain to move inside of your skull. This sudden movement of the brain within the skull can disrupt proper function of the brain.
A mild concussion can occur without a direct impact to the skull. For example:
A car accident can result in a concussion if the impact causes a whiplash of the head and neck.
A fall that results in a whiplash of the head and neck can also cause a concussion.
In sports, a hit to the chest can result in a concussion if it causes whiplash of the head and neck.
Symptoms of a concussion
There are several common symptoms you may experience if you have a concussion. If you have just one of these symptoms, you qualify as having a concussion.
Headache
Light sensitivity
Hearing sensitivity
Difficulty reading
Memory loss
Difficulty returning to work
Difficulty speaking
How do you check if you have a concussion?
A sign that you have a concussion is that you may exhibit one or more of the symptoms listed above. However, if you suspect you may have a concussion, you must see your physician.
Self-diagnosis and self-treatment is not advised simply because concussions are dangerous and still largely not understood. If you experienced a traumatic force to the head or body that caused your head to violently move, I advise you to see your physician.
How do you treat a concussion at home?
The key to recovering from a concussion is to let the brain rest. Your body has the extraordinary capacity to maintain its health and heal itself after injury. During recovery, your job is to quite simply stay out of the way of your body’s healing processes. Here is how you should approach treating a concussion.
Complete physical and cognitive rest
Within the first few hours of a concussion, see your physician.
Rest completely. One common thing that slows down recovery from a concussion is screen time – this includes watching TV and using mobile devices.
Minimize or reduce all physical activity, including walking around the house.
Slowly return to light activity
Once symptom have dissipated, begin returning to light activity.
Screen time should still be limited to an hour or less.
Returning to exercise too quickly can worsen the concussion and bring on additional symptoms.
Do not return to play for at least 7 days
If you compete in sports, you must wait at least 7 days before returning to any kind of play.
You must have medical clearance before returning to non-contact training drills.
Incorporating osteopathic manual manipulation and acupuncture therapy into your recovery plan can help ensure complete recovery.
How long does it take to recover from a concussion?
Recovery time from a concussion will depend largely on the severity of your injury. Only your physician can tell you when you can return to normal activities. Athletes should wait at least 7 days before returning to play after a mild concussion.
Natural treatments for a concussion
Including osteopathic treatment and acupuncture into your recovery can help you recover from this brain injury.
Because of the disruption of physiology in the brain, it is common that injury also occurs in the neck. In these cases, the Venus, the blood, and other fluids are not able to properly circulate within the brain and drain from the head down into the neck. This backup of fluids can cause congestion in the head that can lead to fuzzy thinking, headache pain, and even slow recovery time.
By using some very gentle osteopathic manipulation techniques, acupuncture, and other treatments such as breathing therapy, you can help your body recover faster.
References
What is a concussion https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15038-concussion
Gradual return to activity https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3735746/
Why concussions are still misunderstood https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4453625/
Treating concussions with osteopathic manipulation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26927911
Acupuncture for concussion treatment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4685187/
Written by: Dr. Dan Williams, DO
Last edited: May 20, 2019
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