If you are an athlete, you know that at some point you will be faced with an injury. Fear not, though, as you can be mended back to health with the help of a physical therapist. Now what happens if you have take a hard hit to the head and are diagnosed with a concussion? Physical therapy can play a part in your recovery from a concussion, although many people are not aware of this.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury occurring when a hard impact to the head causes the brain to hit the skull. It is important to take proper precaution and protocol even though there may not be any visible signs of a brain injury. The brain is more sensitive to damage once affected by a concussion. Physical therapists can help monitor your physical, mental, and emotional symptoms by taking specific steps and according to your needs in order to assure a successful recovery.

There are three major ways physical therapy can help with a concussion. Physical therapy targets dizziness and balance training, and once a concussion is diagnosed, athletes have difficulty with single-leg balance and have trouble focusing more often than not. A physical therapist may require a patient to do specific activities to slowly improve these symptoms. Headaches can result soon after a concussion due to neck trauma and physical therapists can evaluate the neck and surrounding muscles in order to determine if the headache is caused by a constriction to blood vessels or nerves.

Some approaches a physical therapist may take to make the symptoms of a concussion less pronounced can be as simple as stretching or manual therapy. You will be advised to follow a physical activity guide so that a physical therapist can monitor exercise programs once you are symptom free. Be sure to avoid activities that might injure you again while you go down the road of recovery.

Did you know that you have Direct Access to Physical Therapy? No referral is needed. We offer the best Physical Therapy on Long Island where you can get help from our trusted and expert Physical Therapists. We have several locations on Long Island including Massapequa, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Lindenhurst. To start your Physical Therapy evaluation, call Advance Physical Therapy and The Physical Therapy Alliance at (516) 568-4444.