In this exciting book, Nora Fotuhi, the founder and president of Concussion Superstar Organization, teaches you how you can tap into your brain’s innate healing ability to expedite your recovery from concussions and get back to your usual level of brain functions quickly.
You will also learn about:
- 20 most fascinating facts about the brain
- The basic concepts about the brain and how it works, explained in simple terms
- The difference between left-dominant vs right-dominant brains
- How concussions can cause injury to different parts of the brain
- Guidelines about management of the immediate and short-term issues after a concussion
- Successful strategies in dealing with concussion symptoms at school, sports, and work
- Recommended interventions for prevention of concussions in different sports
- Best ways for boosting the levels of the most important molecule for natural healing and recovery in the brain, called BDNF
- Six steps for recovering from concussion symptoms that have lasted for weeks, months, or even years
When can you return to playing sports again?
Athletes who experience concussion are often impatient. They want to return to their typical strenuous activities and live life as if they had never experienced a trauma to their brain. They don’t quite appreciate that trauma to their brain is similar to trauma to their bones. It takes time for the brain to heal, and there is no quick fix for this problem. They are frustrated because they can’t actually see the injury to their brain – the same way they would see if they had broken their bone or torn the tendons in their knee.
When athletes rush back to playing their sports, especially those that involve contact and potential for further concussions, they often experience more concussion injuries to their brains.
If you have suffered a concussion, you are slower to react quickly and move out of the way if a ball or a player is coming at you quickly. This means you may experience more concussions, and that you will require even more time to heal and get back to your baseline level of your brain functions. You may end up developing post-concussion syndrome, which we discussed above.
If you have lingering symptoms due to a traumatic brain injury, you need to check with your trainer or your doctor to determine when you can safely return to playing sports again.
The CDC offers some general guidelines for a stepwise return to play (below). This stepwise increase to challenging your brain also applies on when you can return to studying or working full-time. Each patient is different and the time they need to heal may differ significantly; some patients need a few days while others need a few weeks.
- For first couple of days after a concussion,
- Limit any major physical activity. Rest, sleep well, and relax for a few days
- Take naps if you feel like it
- Go for relaxing walks
- After a few days,
- Start a safe exercise plan (walk or use a stationary bike) and gradually increase the intensity of your workout (as long as it does not worsen your concussion symptoms)
- Return to school or work, at a reduced schedule (if needed and possible)
- Do fun things that reduce your stress and make you happy
- Avoid rushing back to doing everything you used to do all at once (allow time for your brain to heal)
- Keep your screen time low and avoid reading if it gives you headaches
- After a couple of weeks,
- Increase your activity level and take on more responsibilities (as long as you don’t feel overwhelmed)
- Increase the intensity of your exercise, as tolerated
- Participate in some sport practices
- See a doctor if you have persistent headaches or other concussion symptoms
- After a few weeks,
- Return to your usual school and work activities if you feel you have fully recovered
- If cleared by your coach, return to playing sports and games
- Return to lower level of activity or sports if your symptoms become worse at work or in sports, see your doctor
Work or School Accommodations
Your health care professional can assist you by providing written recommendations to help you reduce your time at school (to avoid the noise and busy environments), receive accommodations for exams (allowing more time for finishing your assignments or exams), or have less responsibilities at your work.
Exams can be postponed. Your start-time at school can be delayed. Your assignment can be cut in half, and you can be allowed to wear sunglasses indoor if the bright light of the room bothers your eyes and worsens your headaches.
If you are working in an office environment, you can receive a letter from your doctor to receive job accommodations such as working from home, taking frequent breaks, and avoiding excessive screen time on computers, and stopping your responsibilities if you suffer from concussion issues. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you can even ask to work part-time for a couple of months.
You deserve to have proper accommodations to heal from your brain injury, just as you would get them if you had broken the bones to your legs, had a heart attack, or needed cancer treatment.
Unfortunately, most patients, their families, and even their doctors don’t appreciate that an injury to the brain is a “real” thing.
The expectation is that patients just need to stop complaining and go back to regular life – as if nothing major had happened. We need to educate the public about the seriousness of concussions and the fact our brain deserves the same amount of time and care to recover as our other body parts.