On March 6, 2024, Tara Andrews, a Neuro Physical Therapist came and spoke with us about Vestibular Rehab and how physical therapists assist in the recovery from a concussion. Vestibular rehabilitation is a type of physical therapy that helps patients who have trouble with dizziness or balance. It can help with specific conditions such as vertigo, migraines, and stroke victims. A concussion is when your brain makes contact with your skull which affects brain function. It is a type of traumatic brain injury.
She delved deep into how to recognize a concussion by symptoms to keep your patient safe and give an action plan that is best suited for the situation at hand. Some of these "red flags" include vomiting, dizziness, loss of vision, and double vision. If an athlete suffers a concussion at any point in the play, they must be immediately removed and medically assessed. Alcohol should also not be consumed as it is a blood thinner, along with no use of heavy machinery such as driving a vehicle.
The tools used for concussion detection are called the CRT 5, which can be used by anyone who believes someone around them has suffered a concussion, and the SCAT 5, which can only be used by medical professionals.
After her lecture, we got to perform these tests on each other! It was interesting to see how much of an impact the physical therapy occupation has on the rehabilitation and recovery from concussions, along with learning about their major role in the sports medicine field!
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