I like attending this conference put on yearly by the University Health Network (Toronto Rehabilitation Institute). Several researchers speak and present their work on traumatic brain injury (ranging from concussions and mild to severe brain injuries). Anyway, here a few of our "take home" learnings this year:
-post concussion syndrome (PCS) is NOT a long lasting concussion, it is the symptoms that linger after some concussions
-symptoms are part of the process therefore they should not be avoided, they just need to be managed correctly
-it's important that people living with TBI are following long-term in order to maintain their physical and cognitive gains (and decrease the likelihood of disuse, anxiety and depression). We think starting more exercise classes for clients with neurological conditions can provide this.
-we need to be more aware of sleep disturbances and the role they play in physical, cognitive and psychological recovery. We have a new assessment tool for this as well as some education and resources to provide.
It was a great conference and as always following a conference or course, we have some things to add to our assessments and treatments.
Oh and to anyone interested, it's been hypothesized that people with re-existing headaches, pain, sleep disorders or mental disorders are more likely to develop PCS. Apparently PCS is more related to these above mentioned issues than whether or not someone has had a previous brain injury (or concussion).