The Concussion Center
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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ

Your best bet is always to be evaluated if you are concerned about a concussion. The earlier you are evaluated, diagnosis made, and symptoms are documented, the sooner treatment can begin, if needed, and the higher your chances of quick, long-term full recovery become.

There are many symptoms of a concussion, but generally we break symptoms down into 6 distinct categories. This is one of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ). Here are the categories: Cognitive function (memory, trouble concentrating, fatigue, feeling fuzzy-headed or foggy-headed, attention problems, executive function problems), vestibular (dizziness, imbalance, clumsiness, falls), ocular-motor (eye movement problems, blurry vision, trouble focusing your eyes, problems reading, problems with light sensitivity), post-traumatic headaches (migraines, tension headaches), mood and behavioral (anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, inability to control emotions, loss of emotion), and cervical (neck pain, whiplash, neck tightness, ringing in the ears).

Recovery from a concussion occurs in many ways. Proper recovery and management are based on the areas of involvement. There is no single cure for a concussion; that is why it is so important to have a proper diagnosis made. However, there are many different routes for treatment and healing for concussions depending on where we find your specific problem areas.

Our initial evaluation takes about an hour. During that time, you will see two doctors and have every aspect of your concussion evaluated to determine where we need to do further testing. Once we finish, we will schedule you for any other appointments to evaluate you so we can get you better.

Neurologists are like the quarterbacks of concussion care. The extensive training and expertise of a neurologist allow for an in-depth and targeted evaluation of all of your symptoms. Our neurology team has years of experience with traumatic brain injuries on top of general neurology. However, we recognize that concussion care is an interdisciplinary approach, and that is why we also have audiologists/certified brain injury specialists working in partnership with our neurology team.

Post-Concussion Syndrome, by definition, is simply the existence of symptoms of a concussion that have lasted longer than 90 days (3 months). The initial part of our exam is the same as for our concussion patients under this threshold, but other tests may be ordered specific to post-concussion syndrome (PCS) if there is suspicion of PCS.

The brain is a highly complicated and complex system that needs to be evaluated by people who understand its intricacies of it. This is one of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ). While concussions are very common after trauma, other injuries can occur (whiplash, damage to the ears, damage just to the eyes, etc.) that can cause symptoms that can be confused with a concussion. On top of that, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are also common after an accident. These two conditions can also mimic concussion symptoms. It is especially important to have concussion specialists look at these areas to make sure other injuries are not being mistaken for a concussion. A large part of our job isn’t diagnosing the concussion but also accounting for all of the other possible injuries or symptoms that could be related to other conditions. Our primary goal is to make sure our patients are working with the correct providers to get treated and get better.

When you come in for your first appointment, we will have you fill out a questionnaire about the accident/trauma, you will speak with and be evaluated by our neurology team, and you will also speak with and be evaluated by our audiology/certified brain injury specialist team. At the end of your appointment, we go over any findings we have initially, what our plan is for any follow-up testing, imaging, or outside referrals we are recommending, and then we set up your next appointments so that we can get you better.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury. The term concussion is actually the exact same thing as a mild traumatic brain injury or mTBI. A concussion is just the term for the group of symptoms that are associated with an mTBI.

A concussion is an emergency when there are symptoms like repeated vomiting, loss of consciousness, prolonged amnesia or confusion, headaches/head pressure that are getting worse, and any kind of seizure activity.

Concussions are diagnosed by assessing the six main areas discussed earlier – cognitive function, vestibular, ocular-motor, headaches, cervical issues, and anxiety/mood/behavioral disorders. Once we know exactly where the problems are, we can prescribe specific therapies and or treatments options for the different areas. In many cases, we are able to begin treatment and management of your symptoms after our first appointment.

Probably the most frequently asked question (FAQ) when someone has suffered a Concussion. Recovery is very much unique to the individual that is affected. There are many different factors that can influence recovery, so there is no way to create a timetable that applies to everyone. That being said, a majority of people will see symptoms improve dramatically or resolve completely by one month after the injury. The general rule; however, is that the sooner you are evaluated and diagnosis is made, the sooner you can begin treatment and recovery.

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  • The Concussion Center utilizes a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare providers to evaluate, diagnose and treat. We ensure every patient is not only on the right path to recovery, but stays on the path until fully recovered.

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