CONCUSSION CARE
You’re in the right place.
There’s a lot of noise out there. It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole on Dr Google but finding the right practitioner to guide your recovery is Step 1.
Thrive NeuroSport is a modern, evidence-informed clinical practice that is focused on you. Our mission is to cultivate resilience by restoring your functional capacity for work, school, sport, and life.
Whether you are unsure you have a concussion from a recent incident or have been to several other practitioners for your concussion over 2+ years. I can help.
It’s never too early or too late to seek out concussion care. Unsure whether you have a concussion? See Key Concussion Facts and Myth-Busting below.
Determining primary symptoms and concerns to help guide the path to recovery (e.g., headaches/migraine, dizziness, poor balance and coordination, reduced exercise tolerance, neck pain and dysfunction, and more)
Assessment and treatment of key clinical domains:
- Neck mobility, strength, and proprioception (i.e., joint awareness)
- Vestibular (i.e., inner ear) and oculomotor (i.e., eye movements) functions
- Balance and coordination (including walking, running, sport-specific drills)
- Exercise tolerance and autonomic system functioning (e.g., stress response)
- Sensorimotor integration (e.g., more complex, integrated tasks)
- Cognitive-perceptual functioning (e.g., visual attention, focus, concentration)
- Performance on specific activities for sport, work, and life!
Innovative and objective assessment measures that provides you with concrete information about how your brain is functioning
Modern technology and remote monitoring to put you in control of your symptoms and track your recovery
Robust interventions that progressively break down the silos of rehab to meet the demands of your daily life and activities
The knowledge to educate and empower you to feel confident navigating return to work, school, and sport
Build your bench. Gain access to a network of inter-disciplinary healthcare practitioners that are leaders in their field for concussion care, including, neuro-optometrists, naturopathic doctors, clinical neuropsychologists, and more.
We have spent years conducting research and learning about the optimal management of concussions. You will notice we don’t have a “certification”.
Please note: There are no valid concussion clinic certifications in Canada.
What does the process look like?
Initial Assessment: 60-minutes
- Understanding: Katie will take the time to help you understand how a concussion affects your brain and body. Knowledge is power!
- Guidance: Get started with an adaptable and progressive plan to begin managing symptoms and/or improving your capacity on Day 1.
- Teamwork: I will help you take control with remote monitoring through software and mobile apps outside of the clinic to help us track your progress more accurately.
- Referrals: If you could benefit from seeing another practitioner for help with nutrition, sleep, vision, cognitive function, and more; Katie has a robust network of practitioners that we can help connect you to.
- Time Sensitive: I understand that parts of an assessment may provoke some of your symptoms and want to ensure we have enough time to pace and plan strategically without any rush.
Follow-Up Treatments: 30- and 40-minutes
I have longer appointment times to ensure you get more value from me. I recommend less frequent appointments with 45-minute sessions.
- Consistency: Progress isn't linear. It is normal to experience ups and downs throughout the concussion recovery process. No matter what, Katie will support and help guide this process with your best interests in mind!
Hybrid Options: Can’t make it into the clinic?
- Telehealth appointments are available to Ontario residents only.
- Please contact Katie for clinician professional and/or organization consulting.
Note: Thrive NeuroSport is not registered to work with the Ontario workplace safety and insurance board (WSIB) or motor vehicle accident insurance providers.
KEY FACTS & MYTH BUSTING CONCUSSION
A concussion is a brain injury that affects the function (not structure) and communication of key neural areas in the brain. Resultant dysfunction may not show up on traditional neuro-imaging such as CT scan or MRI.
A concussion does not always result from direct contact to the head and/or loss of consciousness. If you suspect you or someone else has sustained a concussion they should always be removed from activity/sport and referred to a physician or nurse practitioner.
Symptoms may or may not include:
- Headache, dizziness, nausea and/or vomiting
- Difficulties with vision, balance, and/or coordination
- Tolerating light and/or noise
- Changes in mood (feeling not like yourself, frustration, rapid changes in emotions, feeling anxious, and/or sad)
- Difficulties with decision-making, memory, attention, and/or concentration
- Changes in sleep quality (too much or too little, not falling asleep and/or staying asleep)
There are no regulated “concussion clinic” certificate recognized by the government in Canada. Concussion clinics are certified by private education companies that often include basic training and limited experience.
Note: Our clinicians have several years of experience helping individuals recover from concussion. Not only have we completed numerous courses and studied how the brain functions after concussion, but we understand the lived experience of concussion recovery.
A concussion should be diagnosed by a physician or nurse practitioner, who should be engaged in the patient care pathway and ultimately provide clearance for return to sport, work, and school.
If you feel that your concussion care is not adequate or working well for you, you can always find another practitioner better suited for your care. At Thrive NeuroSport, we pride ourselves in a deep referral network that we can refer our patients to, to get the right care for them.
*See the Resources page for more information on concussion injuries and associations that support concussion recovery.
