In this month's episode, Dr Nicki and Sarah discuss concussion with Dylan who was an ex semi-professional rugby player and suffered from persistent concussion symptoms after a relatively minor head injury. His 5 year journey has led him to discover research and exciting possibilities in the field of rehabilitation and recovery which he shares with us.
DR NICKI EXPLAINS
Episode 8 - Concussion
In this episode of Dr. Nicki Explains, GP Dr. Nicki and her friend Sarah delve into the critical topic of head injuries and concussions. Joined by guest speaker Dylan, who shares his personal experiences with concussion from his rugby days, they explore how to recognise when you need help for a head injury and what steps to take if long-term effects occur.
Dylan recounts multiple concussions during his rugby career:
Initial Steps Post-Injury:
Ongoing Management:
Importance of Professional Assessment:
Even without visible damage on scans like MRI/CTs—concussions can have serious implications requiring professional evaluation especially in sports contexts where repeated knocks are common risks.
Concussions should never be underestimated as their effects might not show immediately but could develop into severe health concerns over time if ignored initially—especially important within high-risk groups such as athletes involved in contact sports like rugby or football where awareness around protocols ("recognise-remove-recover-return") becomes crucially protective against prolonged harm following traumatic events impacting one's cognitive wellbeing overall!
LINKS:
Headway - The Brain Injury Association: https://www.headway.org.uk/
Complete Concussions (website with lots of articles all things brain injury backed up by research):
https://completeconcussions.com/
Some useful articles and videos:
What is concussion?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWVwAuqO2DM
https://completeconcussions.com/concussion/pathophysiology-of-concussion/
What to do after getting concussed?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXal3VPNjEo
Return to Work
Recovery Time and Return to Sport
PCS Causes:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW2SF8hnWGg
The Neck:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IMDNlAknMk
Find a Concussion Clinic:https://clinics.completeconcussions.com/?lat=53.031540&lng=-3.281585&z=7
Cognitive FX (another useful site with PCS info):https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog
Studies:Diet and gut: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28526435/
Return to Work: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24581906/Concussion in Children: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26954410/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27079963/
Screen Time: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36250231/
5-10% concussions have intracranial bleeding: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33133823/
Importance of early stage exercise: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37316185/
Buffalo Treadmill Test: https://completeconcussions.com/concussion-treatment/how-to-perform-a-buffalo-concussion-treadmill-test/https://cdn-links.lww.com/permalink/jsm/a/jsm_2020_01_28_haider_19-313_sdc1.pdf
Vision Therapy: https://kpe.utoronto.ca/sport-medicinerehab-protocols/concussion-vision-therapy-and-oculomotor-rehabhttps://torontoconcussion.ca/vision-exercises-videos/
Concussion Therapy at Home: https://neuraleffects.com/blog/concussion-therapy-exercises/