Page 12 - The Hockey Academy News September 2018

A Patient’s Journey Through a Concussion
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that results from a direct blow to the head causing a disruption in normal brain activity. Over three million concussions are diagnosed yearly. Common concussion symptoms include headache, dizziness, neck pain, difficulty with balance, visual disturbances and cognitive symptoms such as confusion and difficulty with
memory. The majority of people who experience a concussion fully recover within three months, but up to 15-20 percent go on to experience prolonged concussion symptoms. Often, those people benefit from a multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach to recovery.
Mike was an active guy doing what he loved — coaching hockey and working for a recreation
department. In August 2017, during work, he hit the back of his head on metal bleachers and lost consciousness. When he came to, like many people, he did not think that he might have a concussion. He left work early that day because he had cut open the back of his head and vomited, but it was not until the next day when he woke up and knew something was wrong.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Article by Heather Mistry PT, DPT, NCS, and Laura Lizotte, MS, OTR/L
12 SEPTEMBER 2018 | THEHOCKEYACADEMY.COM