Concussion resourses

The Ontario concussion guidelines for the treatment and management of persisting post concussion symptoms are evidence-based guidelines that are regularly revised.

Vision therapy with a neuro-optometrist has helped me with screens, reading and also reduced some of my ambient vision problems that were messing with my spatial sense. The link below to Vision Therapy Canada which includes a tool to find a neuro-optometrist near you.

Sidebar: The Book, "The Ghost in my Brain - How a concussion stole my life and how the new science of brain plasticity helped me get it back" by Clark Elliot is a remarkable account of how vision can be altered (and rehabilitated!) following concussion and the connection between vision  and cognition. I read it as an audiobook version and found it inspiring and helpful.​​

My Symptoms included light headedness with being upright, heavy limbs, thirst, constant nausea, racing heart with small exertions or standing still too long, debilitating fatigue, shakiness and spiking noise sensitivity, as well as intense episodes of being unable to stand and slurred speech. I also noticed with prolonged standing or sitting my feet would turn bluish. Turns out most if not all of these weird signs and symptoms are from a misbehaving autonomic nervous system. A few years after my concussion I was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and orthostatic hypotension . Both are forms or dysautonomia.  Traumatic brain injury, including concussion, are well know to trigger dysautonomia.

Dysautonomia is treatable.  

The organization Dysautonomia International has a website and also an excellent YouTube channel with expert lectures.   

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The link below is a 2020 scientific article entitled "Canadian Cardiovascular Society Position Statement on Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Related Disorders of Chronic Orthostatic Intolerance".

Concussion is almost always associated with some kind of neck soft tissue injury and problems like jaw dysfunction, tinnitus, headache are well known consequences of neck injury. However, upper neck dysfunction can also be associated with vision problems and dizziness (see work of Dr. Julia Treleaven, https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/244). 

Treatment usually involves physical therapy, sometimes in combination (e.g. physiotherapy, athletic therapy, osteopathy, NUCCA). 

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In a subset of cases it is possible that the neck symptoms are also from craniocervical instability - laxity in the  ligaments that are connecting the skull to the top two vertebrae (C1, C2).

I found this 2023 article a useful discussion of craniocervical instability because it talks about signs and symptoms and also physiotherapy treatment considerations:  "Presentation and physical therapy management of upper cervical instability in patients with symptomatic generalized joint hypermobility: International expert consensus recommendations"​