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Dizziness, vertigo, and feeling off balance are some of the most common complaints of concussion patients.1
These symptoms are often caused by several issues such as problems with the balance centres of your brain, problems with your eyes, or issues with the muscle and joint sensors of your neck.
Fortunately, vision therapy and vestibular rehabilitation by a licensed healthcare practitioner with training in concussion management can help to normalize and improve these symptoms.
SEE what vision therapy can do
Half of the brain is dedicated to vision. And, most of our senses and processing is directly impacted by information coming from the eyes.
Most concussion patients experience at least some sort of visual dysfunction. This may include problems with tracking, scanning, teaming, focusing or eye movements. Unfortunately, these visual impacts can also cause other problems like issues concentrating or remembering.
But, how do you know if vision is your problem?
You may require visual rehabilitation if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Blurred or double vision
Difficulty navigating through space
Perception issues
Motion or light sensitivity
Tracking problems
Discomfort in the eyes
Inability to remember what was seen or read
Tailored treatment and rehabilitation approaches from a licensed healthcare practitioner with training in concussion management or a specialized optometrist can help to improve vision problems and reduce concussion symptoms.
Vestibular rehabilitation and concussion
Our vestibular system contributes to our sense of balance, coordination and tells us where we are in space. These systems keep us steady and prevent us from falling.
Canals located behind the ears are the main vestibular organ.2 They detect acceleration or deceleration of our head in relation to our movement and gravity, and the vestibular system works to reposition our eyes, neck and limbs to keep the body upright and stable. Other parts of our balance system include our eyes and sensors located in our muscles and joints.
A concussion can disrupt this system and may cause symptoms such as vertigo and dizziness.2
Fortunately, more conservative approaches by an experienced healthcare provider with specific training in concussion can help to improve problems with the vestibular system. For example, therapeutic maneuvers that hold the head and body in various certain positions to move the debris out of the affected canals may eliminate symptoms such as dizziness or vertigo.3
For more information about vision therapy or vestibular rehabilitation for concussion, visit our website to find a clinic near you.
Complete Concussions specializes in collaborative, evidence-based concussion care. Our evidence-based training programs and integrated healthcare technologies empower multidisciplinary teams to implement standardized care for those impacted by concussions.
Our network and patient database enables large-scale research to advance concussion management, and ultimately, the long-term health and well-being of concussion patients and also teach them some concussion care at home.
We analyze leading research to develop best-in-class approaches to concussion care.