This is Part Two of a two part series on the things necessary for concussion recovery. Click HERE for Part One. Disclaimer: if you’ve fallen or sustained a head injury, please seek medical care right away. This blog is not meant to diagnose or treat a concussion, but to give information about how concussions may be treated.
In this blog we will look at how functional neurology, balanced nutrition and at-home exercises can become a part of your concussion recovery.
Nutrition and Brain Food
The brain requires certain nutrients, or ingredients, to function properly. Concussion disrupts the ability of the brain to manufacture, maintain, and deliver these nutrients to the needed areas for function and repair. To make matters much worse, the average American’s diet is wholly inappropriate for concussion recovery. A major part of our concussion treatment plan is to reorganize the patient’s diet to facilitate concussion recovery.
In-Office Therapy
In concussion treatment, extreme caution must be exercised to avoid overstimulation of the patient’s brain. We’re challenged with proper fuel delivery to the neurons due to the chemical disruptions. This deficiency in oxygen and glucose leads to an increase potential of brain fatigue during treatment.
One of the most common suggestions I give to other providers, especially chiropractors, when working together on concussion cases, is that “less can be more.” In other words, a more effective and efficient response will be seen with our patients if we recognize and respect the fatigue threshold in our patients and diligently strive to work within its bounds. Functional neurologists are specifically trained to recognize brain-based fatigue, offering a safe means of rehabilitation to our concussed patients.
Home Exercises to Synchronize Brain Activity
The work that has been done in the doctor’s office will soon be translated into homework exercises for the patient. Homework is an extremely valuable component of our concussion treatment plan. The brain responds to stimulation differently than muscles do. When we want to increase the strength and efficiency of a muscle, we normally exercise that muscle by pushing to complete fatigue. When we want to increase the strength of neurons, we push only to the initial point of fatigue. By engaging in frequent exercises at home, we can respect this fatigue threshold while offering enough stimulation to rehabilitate the brain.
If you have more questions on how Functional Neurology can help you recover from a concussion, check out our information here, or give us a call to schedule an appointment at (719) 380-0138.