Physio for Your Brain – Concussion Treatment
Symptoms of a Concussion
Sports make the world go – round. Well, that’s what I used to think….
That was until one fateful day where I zigged when I should have zagged, and took an elbow to the right side of my head – ouch! The after effects left me woozy, but being the tough Canadian kid I am, I finished the hockey game, scored a goal I can barely remember, and had a well-deserved beer after getting the big beer league win.
Then, the next day, came the residual issues that I had read about. I began to have headaches, bright lights bothered me, anxiety kicked in, and the real side of concussions reared its ugly head. I did some google research on what to do to confirm I did in fact have a concussion and I found:
Concussion - Treatment Methods?
Well dang. This checklist told me that I had what I thought I had. So, I went to my doctor who confirmed to me that I had a concussion. I was then informed me to the do the following:
- Stay hydrated
- No or less screen time
- Advil for headaches
- Dark room
- Limited physical activity
What I read from this was, basically, wait out the symptoms. No real way to improve faster, no real way to expedite from this woozy, sad state, back to the normal, carefree, hockey playing me that I love.
I was determined to heal fast and stay on top of everything that could be done to better my situation. Thanks for the insight Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/concussions
As days went by, I adhered to my doctor’s advice. But, in a way that many great businesses start, I thought, “there has to be a better way”!
Neurofeedback – Physio for the brain
This thought led me to countless hours of searching online, and being awakened to “Neurofeedback”. What is Neurofeedback? And how can it help my head get better faster? Well to my surprise there were tons of videos and informational articles online outlining just that. A simply put video relating directly to concussions made me decide this was the route I wanted to pursue. The video, only about 40 seconds, talked about sports concussions and the fact that it was safe and non-invasive. Perfect!
Neurofeedback YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6PMb4cQ044&feature=youtu.be
I followed up with my doctor to see if this was as safe as I was reading online, and he said yes. As any new age thing, doctors are hesitant to push you towards it, but as it was a safe, non-invasive treatment method I thought “why not”.
I found a local medical doctor who was using the top equipment and was at the cutting edge of this industry, a made a call for a meeting - http://neurofeedback-loreta.com/
After my first consultation I jumped right into treatment, which consisted of a cap on my head, music being played, and a screen tracking my brain waves. The music would play only if I was using a certain part of my brain, and the doctor would focus on parts around where my main impact was. It was as simple as can be, but it left me mentally tired after the first session. He equated it was physio to surrounding areas, and boy could I relate. Within hours of the first treatment I could notice a difference – I felt like me again!
He quoted typical treatment lasting 10 sessions at which point the expectation is you would be better and wouldn’t need any more Neurofeedback. After I completed my 8th session I felt like I was fully recovered, I was as excited as Mark Messier after winning his first Stanley Cup.
In the end I was surprised at how little information there was about Neurofeedback treatment for concussions, as well as many other brain related issues - Depression, Anxiety, Migraines to just name a few.
While there was a window of 2 months where sports were no longer a focus, where my health took a major priority, I’m happy to say I’m back to my passion of playing hockey.…. And I have Neurofeedback to thank!
References:
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/concussions
Loreta Neurofeedback: http://neurofeedback-loreta.com/
