Vestibular Rehabilitation and Concussion

What is vestibular rehabilitation? Vestibular rehabilitation is a form of physical therapy that helps patients manage dizziness and balance issues. Balance relies on the relationship between your CNS and your sensory system. A person's CNS is their central nervous system, which is incredibly important regarding the sensory system. The sensory system is made up of a vestibular labyrinth in the inner ear, vision, skin, joints, and muscles. When there is a problem in any of these areas it may result in dizziness. Vestibular physical therapy can help with many conditions, including: vertigo, BPPV, migraines, strokes, fall risk, and traumatic brain injury (concussion). What is a concussion? A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head or body that affects the way the brain functions. This can include headaches, dizziness, balance deficits, and trouble concentrating. A head impact by either a direct blow or indirect transmission of force can be associated with a serious and potentially fatal brain injury. If there are serious injuries activation of emergency procedures and urgent transport to the nearest hospital should be arranged. Any athlete with a suspected concussion should be removed from play, medically assessed, and monitored for deterioration.

No athlete diagnosed with a concussion should be returned to play on the day of the injury. If an athlete is suspected of having a concussion and medical personnel are not immediately available, the athlete should be referred to a medical facility for urgent assessment. Some tools for detecting a concussion include the SCAT 5, a standardized tool for evaluating concussions designed for use by physicians and licensed healthcare professionals, and the CRT 5, which can be used by non-medical professionals for the identification of suspected concussions. Now, the SCAT 5 cannot be performed correctly in less than 10 minutes and is to be used to evaluate athletes aged 13 years and older. Athletes with a suspected concussion should not be left home alone for the first two hours, drink alcohol, use recreational/prescription drugs, be sent home by themselves, and should not drive a motor vehicle until cleared to do so by a healthcare professional. It is important to remember that basic principles of first aid should be followed, assessment for a spinal cord injury is critical, do not attempt to move the player unless trained to do so, and do not remove a helmet or any other equipment unless trained to do so safely.