Concussion Management: A Toolkit for Physiotherapists

Codi Isaac participates as part of the project team that developed  Concussion Management; A Toolkit for Physiotherapists published by

Physiotherapy Alberta - College and Association. This relatively comprehensive toolkit provides is geared toward those Physiotherapists that don't routinely see concussion injuries in their practice. This resource provides guidance for evidence based assessements and management protocols for adult patients.

As stated in the toolkit

"Concussion is a functional injury with complex and heterogenous symptoms that may be somatic, cognitive and/or affective in origin. Management optimally involves
a team of health-care professionals who collaborate to provide integrated care (physician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, SLP, psychologist, optometrist, etc.). This can be achieved in many ways: from practice colocation to development of a multidisciplinary network."

The signs and symptoms of a concussion include cognitive, physical, emotional and sleep disturbance. understanding these and their relationship to the condition will help Physiotherapists identify concussions and risky situations. Some of the high risk indicators include:

• Number, severity and duration of symptoms
• History of migraine headaches
• Pre-injury mood disorders, learning disorders and
  attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD)
• Younger age

Given the complexity of a concussion injury, injuries that are not resolving quickly should be referred to a multidisciplinary assessment.