Today advanced technology helps with preventing head injuries like concussions via more effective helmets, and MRIs enable more detailed evaluation of concussions than ever before. Yet care and support for mild traumatic brain injuries hasn’t really changed much. Medical care providers emphasize the need to rest and avoid risking a second concussion by returning to play following a head injury, but little else has changed. Patients are told to rest, take medication for pain and give themselves time to recover.
The majority of concussions are mild, and time and rest do allow the injured individual to recover fully most of the time. Yet every concussion does alter the way the brain functions. In some cases, the effects of the brain injury linger. The patient’s quality of life may suffer as brain function and performance remain at suboptimal levels for weeks, months or even years. Patients who struggle with ongoing post-concussion symptoms may also be at an increased risk for developing dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other serious health problems.
While traditional medicine can provide temporary relief for traumatic brain injury, it isn’t the only option or necessarily the best solution when it comes to lasting effects that may include impairments to cognitive function and emotional stability, motor function and overall health.
Holistic care that focuses on finding the root cause of symptoms and addressing them through cutting-edge therapeutic support is an alternative option. Functional neurology can provide care that focuses on exactly which areas of the brain and which connections have been altered, injured or destroyed. Advanced and highly specific tests can be used to determine exactly what is going on in the patient’s brain. When the location and extent of injury has been determined, a customized plan of therapeutic support that addresses the concussion patient’s precise needs can be developed.
Functional neurologists rely on the latest research and technology to help patients with gentle, safe therapeutic tools and techniques that promote healthy brain function. Brain-based rehabilitation therapies are used to manage current symptoms. This is care that addresses the neurological origin of physiological symptoms, rather than just focusing on the symptoms themselves.
The therapeutic care provided by functional neurologists is completely natural and works with the body’s own ability to heal itself. There is no discomfort and no side effects associated with therapy. Progress is carefully monitored and results are measurable. There is no guesswork involved in this type of care.
A functional neurologist offers brain injury patients an opportunity to take advantage of cutting-edge science for rehabilitation. If you’re seeking long term relief from concussion symptoms, as full a recovery as possible, and long term solutions instead of quick fixes, functional neurology may be your best choice in care.