 :©Keith Seidel
Whether from a car accident or a sports related injury from football or soccer, or a chance impact to our heads from a falling rock from above, or us falling and hitting our heads, sustaining a concussion is serious and should not go unnoticed. SYMPTOMS AND EFFECTS According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.” This jostling can cause your brain to bounce around in your skull, possibly stretching and damaging the cells and tissues. There are a variety of both short-term and long-term effects from concussions and TBIs. Most of the effects of mild TBIs have to do with one or more of the following areas: thinking, sensation, language, and/or emotion. Severe TBIs can result in permanent disability and even death, and are a contributing factor in 30% of injury-related deaths in the U.S. HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A CONCUSSION? How do we know if someone has a concussion? It can be difficult to diagnose, since many of the signs and symptoms are shared and confused with other conditions. The first question to ask is, “is there a mechanism of injury that would cause a TBI?” In other words, did you see a ball hit someone in the head, or did you see them trip and fall? If you did not actually see the incident, look for other clues like a dented helmet or a cut on the head. If you cannot find any clues to indicate a mechanism of injury that would produce a TBI, look for important signs and symptoms that can help you figure out what is going on. The CDC divides these up into four main categories, with multiple signs and symptoms for a mild TBI under each: THINKING/ REMEMBERING · Loss of consciousness (even briefly) · Difficulty thinking clearly · Feeling slowed down · Difficulty concentrating · Difficulty remembering new information PHYSICAL · Headache · Fuzzy/ blurred vision · Nausea or vomiting · Dizziness · Sensitivity to noise or light · Balance problems · Feeling tired, having no energy EMOTIONAL/ MOOD · Irritability · Sadness · More emotional than normal · Nervousness or anxiety SLEEP · Sleeping more than usual · Sleeping less than usual · Trouble falling asleep Some or even none of these signs or symptoms may appear right away. Others may come on once the person starts physically exerting his or herself more, while still others may not present until much later. According to Dr. Yost, at Full Spectrum Chiropractic in Olympia WA, patients that do not have a loss of consciousness, amnesia or seizures should be monitored for 1 - 2 hours for the signs and symptoms mentioned earlier. Staying off screens like phones ipads etc, and giving your brain some rest is recommended. Dr. Yost further recommends that if signs and symptoms do develop, visit an urgent care facility near you or Emergency room. (this is the same for a patient who has experienced a loss of consciousness, amnesia or seizures). Dr. Yost also recommends that if a patient’s signs and symptoms increase during the minimal exertion needed to travel to an urgent care facility, they should be carried or transported and with increased urgency. Dr. Yost also stresses that, “concussed patients avoid a second traumatic blow and should not self-evacuate via bike or skis or any method involving speed or jolting.” Though it should be noted that there are situations when an immediate, rapid evacuation is necessary. There are some critical danger signs to watch out for that could alert you to the need for a rapid evacuation: · Headache that gets worse and does not go away · Weakness, numbness or decreased coordination · Repeated vomiting or nausea · Slurred speech · The patient looks very drowsy or cannot be woken up · One pupil is a different size than the other · Convulsions or seizures · Unable to recognize people or places · Getting more and more confused/ restless/ agitated · Loss of consciousness some time after the initial injury Dr. Yost emphasizes that a patient who is unresponsive, or is only voice or pain responsive after a blow to the head requires a rapid evacuation and urgent medical attention. Hopefully you will never have, or need to treat someone with, a concussion or TBI. Post-Concussion Syndrome Adults ages 20 through 64 who were diagnosed with a concussion in 2015 were subsequently diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome 15.7 percent of the time, which was a higher rate than ages 10 through 19 at 12.4 percent. Cranial sacral work, acupuncture, and chiropractic care at Full Spectrum Chiropractic pllc are all recommended support for those recovering from a concussion or TBI from an auto accident or sports injury. Key Words: Concussion, TBI, Whiplash, Headache, neck pain, head pain, sports injury, post-concussion syndrome, car accident
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 Winter is Here! As the temperatures begin to drop you might be asking yourself some questions like, “which ski pass am I going to purchase this year, are my tires still good? Do I have an emergency pack in my vehicle?”. What about asking yourself -“ How am I training my body for the upcoming winter Ski season?”. Now that the rain has come with the early setting sun you may be making a roaring fire in your home, but what about making a fire in your legs. Those long days on the mountain with your friends and family, when the snow is just too good to pass up are right around the corner and you will need to be ready for that one last run down the mountain. The majority of injuries we see related to recreational skiing are to the knee. In particular, the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) are most commonly injured. The wrist and arm are most commonly injured with snowboarding. The good news is the majority of these injuries are preventable with appropriate pre-season training. If you do get injured, most injuries can be treated successfully with conservative care. At Full Spectrum Chiropractic pllc we understand proper movement and make individual assessments to provide the care you need to keep you moving on the slopes this season. What does the research tell us when it comes to preventing these injuries? Incorrect movement mechanics which places higher forces on the anatomical structures of the knee are the main culprit. However, with appropriate training, your muscles can be trained to allow you to ski or snowboard with minimal risk of injury. The number one thing you should be focusing on as you train and prepare your body for the ski season is to increase the degree of your training. Progressively load your leg muscles for strength, stability, power and most importantly stamina. The research shows the majority of injuries happen when muscle fatigue takes place. Particularly important is the gluteal muscle group, quadriceps and hamstring muscles. These muscles are important stabilizers of the knee and your exercises should simulate the stresses that will be placed on your body while going down the slopes. The following guidelines can be used as general principles for specific training domains to focus on. Strength: increase weight to 8-12 reps x 3-5 sets till fatigue Power: medium to light weight and work on quickness and speed with standing back up, reps can range from 5-8 x 2-3 sets Endurance: increase reps by count or time until fatigue x 2-3 sets The 3 exercises below - are excellent ways to prepare your body for the upcoming ski season!  Deadlift (Romanian or Conventional) Holding a weight engage your core, keep the knees bent slightly, keep your back straight and hinge at the hips leaning forward (as far as you can without rounding your lower back) lowering the weight towards the floor keeping it at close to your body as possible. Fire your hamstrings (back of thigh) then glutes (butt muscles) and return to a standing position pushing your hips forward. Physical Loading specific to occupation and sports has a relatively minor role in disc degeneration, beyond that of upright postures and routine activities  Tempo squats with weight Holding weight at chest level engage your core and lower to the bottom of a squat then begin to stand up about halfway (should be in the middle of your squat) then descend to bottom again. Begin to vary speed of up and down and height of up and down you move through in your squat. Your goal should be able to perform exercise for 30-60 seconds (should be similar to a ski run) until fatigue.  Single leg eccentric squat and jump Standing on one leg, engage core and slowly sit down to a chair (count of 3 seconds) then explode out of chair as fast as possible jumping on the same leg with a soft controlled landing. That is 1 repetition. The goal should be 5 reps x 2 sets for this exercise. At Full Spectrum Chiropractic PLLC, we are experts in caring for patients with back pain, neck pain, headaches, spine and joint pain, and disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous system. Schedule an appointment today to discuss how we may be of service to you. References
Stenroos A, Handolin L. Incidence of Recreational Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding Injuries: Six Years Experience in the Largest Ski Resort in Finland. Scand J Surg. 2015;104(2):127-31. Hébert-losier K, Holmberg HC. What are the exercise-based injury prevention recommendations for recreational alpine skiing and snowboarding? A systematic review. Sports Med. 2013;43(5):355-66. Nessler T, Denney L, Sampley J. ACL Injury Prevention: What Does Research Tell Us?. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2017 |
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