Anyone can incur a brain injury due to a car accident, a fall, or any other activity. The risk is even higher if you engage in impact sports like football or boxing. Though most often not life-threatening, concussions may cause life altering symptoms that can respond favorably to advanced treatment at a functional neurologist’s office.
If you are not sure whether or not you have a concussion injury, it’s advisable that you see a doctor. And, if you have suffered multiple concussions, or a more serious blow to the head or the symptoms carry on far beyond a few days, then you should see a functional neurologist concussion specialist.
A concussion doctor is a certified health care provider trained in identifying, managing, and treating traumatic brain injury in patients. A concussion specialist can help patients create and abide by an effective recovery program based upon their symptoms, age, work or school schedule, activity level, and other factors. A suitable treatment and management plan may help speed up recovery and produce better results.
What Happens at the Neurologist Concussion Specialist?
Some conditions or injuries like a bone fracture are diagnosed by taking an X Ray. Concussions are different in that they are a condition of physiological brain dysfunction and there is no one test with which doctors can diagnose a concussion. You can’t see a concussion on an MRI or in a blood test. While at the concussion center, the functional neurologist concussion specialist will typically perform any of the following in order to evaluate your condition.
The doctor will want to know about your concussion history: have you suffered head injuries before? If yes, how did they happen, and how was the recovery pattern. The evaluation may also include an exhaustive look at what kinds of symptoms you are having, what were the circumstances surrounding your injury, and what other medical conditions do you have that may contribute in one way or another to the symptoms you are having.
The concussion rehabilitation specialist will then perform a postural stability test (balance test) on the CAPS (Comprehensive Assessment of Postural Systems) unit which assesses sway patterns and the body’s center of pressure. This test takes about 20 minutes.
Then a cognitive test will be performed using the CNS Vital Signs platform. This neurocognitive test takes about 30 minutes.
Next a timing test will be done on the Interactive Metronome to see how well the brain is able to time physical movements with auditory and visual stimuli. This test takes about 20 minutes.
This will be followed by a complete neurological examination which evaluates general neurological function, cerebellar, vestibular system and oculomotor system (eye movement function) to see if any or all of these neurological brain areas are coordinating properly and how they may be triggering or aggravating symptoms. The exam usually lasts about 2 hours but may take longer depending on the patient’s abilities. Sometimes due to the severity of the concussion symptoms patients will have to do the exam in 2 separate visits.
At our head injury rehabilitation center, our treatments are embedded in the belief that our body and brain can get cured naturally using non-invasive treatment techniques and nutritional therapies.
Dr.Paul also can perform a Preparticipation concussion exam for your child before they start their specific sport. This can be used as a baseline for possible future concussions and return to play guidelines.
Looking for a Concussion Specialist Near Me?
Have you been frustrated when googling a “concussion specialist near me?” Dr. Paul is your go-to head injury specialist in Lafayette, CO. Call him today for a free consultation!
