Concussion Self-Care: Your Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Recovery
Experiencing a concussion is a significant event that requires careful, proactive management. Each year, millions of people encounter concussions of varying severity, and how they approach recovery can significantly affect their overall health outcomes. This comprehensive guide on concussion self-care is designed to help you navigate the recovery process and return to everyday life effectively and safely.
Concussion Self Care: Understanding The Basics
A concussion occurs when the brain shakes inside the skull. The short-term effects are the result of electrochemical imbalances due to disruptions in the sodium/potassium concentrations inside and outside the cell. This can disrupt normal brain function and result in a range of neurological symptoms.
These symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, confusion, balance problems, mood changes, and difficulty with concentration and memory. It’s important to recognize these signs and respond promptly to help minimize potential complications and support recovery.
The moments following a concussion are crucial. The steps you should undertake are as follows:
1. Seek Medical Attention
Consulting a healthcare professional immediately after injury ensures there are no long-term severe consequences from the injury. These include brain bleeds, fractures, or swelling within the skull. The doctor may take an MRI, CT scan, or X-ray to rule out any serious complications. If you have symptoms like slurred speech, numbness, confusion, or seizures, you should consult a healthcare professional immediately.
2. Ensure Adequate Rest
Initial physical and mental rest is vital in the early stages of concussion recovery. The initial stage in recovery is referred to as the energy crisis. This means the brain prioritizes recovery of damaged tissue and gives most of its energy to healing. This stage usually lasts between 5-14 days, depending on severity.
The old advice of “sleep in a dark room” is valid during this time. However, it’s important to note that you shift into the “adaption phase immediately after this recovery window closes.”
This is when the brain is actively reorganizing things to function better. Resting too far past the recommended timeline may cause the brain to adapt to a quiet, dark room, making recovery more challenging in the long term.
3. Resume light activity
Once you feel ready to resume light activity, you should prioritize a gradual increase over time. Remember, after the initial crisis phase is over, the brain is trying to adapt to the new baseline level of function. Increasingly more challenging activity is a great way to ensure the brain continues to adapt in the right direction.
Physical Activities
Begin with little to no exertion and slowly build up as tolerated without exacerbating symptoms. Activities such as swimming or stationary cycling can be less jarring to the brain. The gold standard is the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test. This well-researched protocol is the best way to prevent prolonged autonomic symptoms from occurring and an excellent way to identify stubborn symptoms that may impede recovery.
Cognitive Activities
Integrate cognitive demand gradually. Start with activities that require low concentration and progressively take on more challenging tasks as tolerated. Work up to screen time and more complex tasks that demand more thinking and eye movement. Take breaks and set timers to ensure you stay within your limits.
Social Activities
Engage socially in environments that do not overwhelm your senses or exacerbate your symptoms. Start with small gatherings with close friends/family and work up to larger, more noisy environments.
4. Consult Specialty Care if Symptoms Persist
If you’ve completed the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Protocol and still have symptoms, what isn’t healing correctly should be clear. The symptoms continually occurring during testing should guide you to the appropriate specialist. Consult your primary regarding which specialist you should seek based on your remaining symptoms.
Best Practices for At-home Concussion Management
A comprehensive at-home concussion toolbox should have strategies for nutrition, supplementation, sleep, mental health, stress management, and symptom recognition. The following is a list of resources you can use to accelerate recovery.
Nutritional Brain Support
Some foods and supplements are particularly beneficial for brain health:
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These essential nutrients are found in fish oil, walnuts, and flaxseeds and are critical for nerve and brain function. The general best practice is to take 3 grams of fish oil three times/day for the first week and 3 grams 2 times/day for the second week.
Antioxidants
Foods high in antioxidants can prevent oxidative stress, contributing to tissue damage. Berries, nuts, and green leafy vegetables are excellent choices. Supplementing with things like liposomal glutathione, turmeric, resveratrol, and vitamin D can also provide valuable antioxidant support. Supporting this process is crucial during the recovery process, as the brain needs help clearing out waste products from the injury.
Blood Sugar Management
Following a concussion, paying attention to blood sugar regulation is essential. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can impact neurological function and potentially prolong recovery. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels through a balanced diet and regular, nutritious meals can support the brain’s energy needs and contribute to the healing process. It’s advisable to avoid sugary snacks and opt for nutrient-dense foods to help regulate blood sugar levels more effectively during the recovery period.
Alcohol and caffeine
Avoid these during the first month of recovery. They are both diuretics, which means they cause the body to excrete more water. The brain is mostly water and fat, so you must be hydrated to ensure a fast recovery.
Gluten, Dairy, Seed Oils and Sugar
Another best practice is to cut out pro-inflammatory foods, even if they don’t bother you. This includes gluten, dairy, seed oils, and sugar. Concussions often come with GI issues, so eliminating as much nutritional stress in the short term can have substantial long-term gain.
Electrolyte Supplementation
Supplementing with electrolytes to ensure maximum hydration and electrolyte balance is a best practice. Since the brain’s immediate problem is electrolyte imbalances within the cell, it’s vital to provide high-quality electrolytes early and often. We recommend finding one with magnesium in the form of glycinate or terminate. These forms more readily cross the blood-brain barrier and aid in absorption.
Optimize Sleep
Restorative sleep is crucial and supports brain healing. Create a regular sleep pattern and ensure your environment is conducive to restful sleep, reducing noise, light, and interruptions. Some best practices include:
– No food 3 hours before bed
– Dim light 2 hours before bed
– No screen time 1 hour before bed
– Get sunlight in your eyes as soon as you wake up or as close to it as possible.
– Red light or red-tinted glasses before bed.
– Warm shower at night
– Try and have a consistent bedtime
Focus on Mental Health and Stress Management
The impact of concussions isn’t just physical—mental health can also be affected. The recovery experience can often feel isolated, especially if your symptoms don’t resolve on their own. Below is a list of ways to improve mental health and support the body’s recovery response.
– Mediation
– Mindfulness
– Talk therapy
– Symptom journaling
– Cold exposure
– Vagal nerve stimulators (external)
– Support groups
-Gentle exercise/nature walks
– Grounding
– Red light therapy
Try not to keep your struggles bottled up. Find a trusted source to which you can vocalize your concerns. Remember that every concussion is unique, and no two people heal the same.
Symptom Documentation
Maintain a log of daily symptoms, their severity, and their impact on your daily activities. This record is beneficial for both self-monitoring and sharing with your healthcare provider, allowing for better, tailored recommendations. It also helps you see the reduction in symptoms over time and identify situations where your symptoms are most severe. Knowledge of these symptoms allows you to plan ahead and enables you to see which areas still need continued support.
Conclusion
Recovering from a concussion is a personal journey that often comes with roadblocks along the way. This article should give you some valuable tools to help speed up recovery and give you the best chance to recover fully without complications. Be patient, know your limits, and be kind to yourself.
Every recovery is different; prolonged symptoms don’t mean you will be stuck like this. It just means you need more specialized care to achieve complete symptom resolution.
With the right help, recovery is possible. There’s always hope.
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*Note: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship. Patients are advised to consult their medical provider or primary care physician before trying any remedies or therapies at home.
