Concussion Management St. Catharines

concussion management st catharines

Niagara Health and Rehab Centre is a proud clinic of the Complete Concussion Management Inc. (CCMI) Partnership Program – a network of clinics around the world offering evidence-based concussion care.

From initial pre-season baseline testing to concussion treatment and rehabilitation we have got you covered. As partnered CCMI practitioners, we collaborate with primary care physicians to co-manage concussions, helping patients and athletes safely return to learn, work and play.

What Is A Concussion?

A concussion is a brain injury caused by acceleration or deceleration of the brain within the skull following a significant impact to the head or elsewhere on the body. The impact causes a biochemical imbalance within the brain cells, resulting in decreased blood flow and temporary energy deficits within the brain. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness, headache, pressure in the head, neck pain, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, or balance problems, among others.

To further understand what a concussion is, watch this video for an in-depth whiteboard demonstration from Dr. Cameron Marshall (@Concussion_Doc)!

Concussion Assessment

During your assessment session, the mechanism of your injury and the symptoms you’re experiencing will be discussed by your physiotherapist.

The remaining part of the assessment will involve concussion assessment tools to find out what causes your symptoms. An assessment of your neck as well as neurological tests will take place as a screen.
Your physiotherapist will assess balance and dizziness, as well as complete a vestibular and ocular assessment after this.

If you have a concussion, the goal is to enhance your recovery process so you can get back to regular function and everyday activities.
Our therapists have experience treating sports injuries. If you have a question about how we manage concussions at our clinic or would like to learn more about concussion management, please contact us!

Concussion Treatment St. Catharines

In conjunction with CCMI, we offer concussion treatment services & strategies including:

Exertional testing for return-to-sport readiness and sub-symptom threshold exercise programs for persistent symptoms
vestibular, oculomotor, and cervical spine rehabilitation
Treating and managing athletic injuries such as traumatic brain injury.
Postural stability assessment and treatment.
balance, reaction time, visual processing, and neurocognitive testing (pre-season baseline and/or post-injury/return to sport testing)
Providing post-injury care and awareness.
Concussion educational resources
Concussion prevention program

During the early stage following injury, a period of relative symptom-limited physical and cognitive rest is recommended. Research suggests 24 to 48 hours, however, these decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Following a short period of rest, the International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (2016) recommends a gradual increase in mental and physical activity by a licensed concussion management specialist trained in provided high-quality concussion services.

CCMI Treatment Overview

Pre-season Testing

Multimodal pre-season testing is a series of physical and cognitive tests that provides a pre-injury overview of healthy brain function. These tests can offer healthcare practitioners with an objective benchmark on which to compare should a patient sustain a concussion. It’s important to remember that not all baseline testing is created equal. CCMI has selected the best evidence-based tools available to provide you with comprehensive, multimodal, proven baseline-testing.

As concussion symptoms often disappear days to weeks before the brain has recovered, having valuable baseline information may help practitioners to make safer return to play decisions.

Contact our licensed healthcare practitioner today to learn more about baseline testing to see if it’s right for you.

CCMI Concussion Tracker Smartphone Application

The CCMI Concussion Tracker smartphone app supports safer return-to-sport decisions for young athletes. The app captures and shares an athletes’ concussion status in real time.

Where a concussion hits, Concussion Tracker enables an athlete’s stakeholders to:

Report and track concussion
Conduct sideline assessments
Ensure seamless communication
Record athlete’s recovery status and timeline
Scan and share medical documents
Track daily symptoms for recovery progress
Store and view pre-season concussion test results Concussion Tracker app for free today on the App Store and Google Play!

Download the Concussion Tracker app for free today on the App Store and Google Play!

CCMI Free Educational Resources

When a concussion hits, the more knowledge the better. CCMI’s free concussion awareness resources will help to increase your awareness of concussion management. Download yours for free today at https://completeconcussions.com/resources/educational-resources/

Downloads available include:

Concussion Handbook
Concussion Baseline Testing Fact Sheet
Comprehensive Concussion Management Program
Concussion Code of Conduct
Implementation Guide
Concussion educational infographics
Concussion FAQs

About Complete Concussion Management Inc.

CCMI is a global concussion research and clinical management network with 300+ clinic locations that provide concussion testing, management, and treatment services across five countries. Through evidence-based training programs and integrated healthcare technologies, CCMI empowers multidisciplinary teams to provide standardised care to those impacted by concussions. CCMI serves to improve the collective understanding of the prevention, management, and prognosis of concussion, while providing accessible, patient-centric care based on the latest scientific and medical research. For more information, visit www.completeconcussions.com.

What Other Services NHRC in St Catharines offers?

Acupuncture, physiotherapy, chiropractic services, manual therapy with soft tissue release techniques, vestibular rehabilitation, exercise prescription, regular recovery assistance, etc.