Symptoms
Does this sound like you
- Headache or pressure in the head
- Dizziness or poor balance
- Feeling foggy or slowed down
- Blurred vision or trouble focusing your eyes
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Trouble concentrating or remembering
- Feeling irritable, sad or more emotional than usual
- Sleeping more or less than usual
Assessment
We start with your history: how the injury happened, your symptoms since, any past concussions, and what a doctor or nurse practitioner has told you. Then we check the areas a concussion often affects:
- balance, standing and walking
- eye movements, and whether moving your eyes or head brings on symptoms
- the neck, which is often strained in the same fall or crash
- how daily activity, screens and exercise affect your symptoms
Symptoms vary a lot from one person to the next, so the assessment shapes the treatment.
Treatment
Doctors no longer advise complete rest in a dark room. After a short rest, we set a level of gentle activity that makes your symptoms no more than a little worse, and build from there. Treatment then matches what the assessment found. It often includes:
- Balance and dizziness (vestibular rehabilitation): exercises for balance and for keeping your vision steady while your head moves. See vestibular rehabilitation therapy.
- Eye-movement exercises: step-by-step practice for quick eye jumps (saccades), smooth tracking (smooth pursuit) and holding your gaze on a target while your head turns (the vestibulo-ocular reflex). Our concussion exercises program has levelled videos of each for home practice.
- Neck treatment: hands-on treatment and exercise for neck pain and stiffness, which can add to headaches and dizziness.
- Building activity back up: a plan to bring back exercise, screen time, and work or study at a pace your symptoms allow.
Getting back to sport
If a concussion is suspected, stop the activity and do not go back that day, even if you feel fine. Medical clearance from a doctor or nurse practitioner comes before skiing, snowboarding, biking or any sport with a risk of falls or contact.
Another blow, or hard effort, before your symptoms have settled can make them worse.
We take you through a step-by-step return to sport. Each step adds a little more effort, and you move on when the current step makes your symptoms no more than a little worse. The steps start with light activity, such as walking or an easy ride on a stationary bike. They build through sport-specific drills and full training, then back to the hill, the trail or the field.
Wear a helmet for skiing, snowboarding and biking. It protects your skull and may lower the chance or severity of a concussion, but no helmet prevents every concussion.
When to come in
Book an assessment if headaches, dizziness, balance or vision problems, or neck pain are still affecting you after a concussion. You can also book for help planning your return to work, study and sport.
Someone with a suspected concussion should not be left alone for the first few hours, because symptoms can appear late. Go to the emergency department right away, or call 911, if any of these happen:
- a headache that gets worse
- vomiting more than once
- confusion, growing drowsiness or unusual behaviour
- a seizure
- weakness, numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
- neck pain or tenderness
- double vision
- being knocked out, even briefly
The people
Who treats it
Partner · PhysiotherapistSport physiotherapy and return to sport · Movement analysis and exercise programming · Complex orthopaedic and post-surgical rehabilitationVillage North · Whistler Athlete Centre
Partner · PhysiotherapistHand and upper-limb rehabilitation · Concussion and vestibular rehabilitation · Sports and spinal injuriesVillage North
Partner · PhysiotherapistComplex neck and back problems · Sports injuries · Concussion and vestibular rehabilitationVillage North
PhysiotherapistRunning injuries · Post-surgical rehabilitation, including ACL and rotator cuff · Concussion and vestibular rehabilitationVillage North
PhysiotherapistACL rehabilitation, with or without surgery · Concussion and vestibular rehabilitation · Running injuriesVillage North
PhysiotherapistSnow sports injuries · Acute sporting knee injuries · Strength and conditioningVillage North · Whistler Athlete Centre
Care
How we help
Physiotherapy
Assessment, hands-on treatment and a plan built around your sport, from physiotherapists whose patients compete on the World Cup with Canada's ski and snowboard teams.
Read more ServiceConcussion Rehabilitation
Assessment and treatment after a concussion by physiotherapists trained in concussion management, often including vestibular and neck treatment and a graduated return-to-play protocol.
Read more ServiceVestibular Rehabilitation Therapy
Assessment and exercise-based treatment for dizziness, vertigo and unsteadiness: BPPV and other inner-ear disorders, dizziness after a concussion or from the neck, and the central causes that need a careful assessment first.
Read more ServiceRegistered Massage Therapy (RMT)
Manual soft-tissue treatment for pain, muscle tension, spasm and trigger points: restoring mobility and promoting recovery.
Read moreFAQ
The questions we hear most
Should I rest in a dark room after a concussion?
Not for long. A short rest at the start is sensible, but current guidelines no longer recommend long, strict rest. Light activity such as walking then becomes part of recovery, as long as it makes your symptoms no more than a little worse. Screens, reading and work come back gradually, and we help you judge how much to do at each stage.
Do I need to see a doctor after a concussion?
Yes. A doctor or nurse practitioner should confirm a concussion and check for a more serious head or neck injury. They should also clear you before you return to sports where you could fall or be hit. Physiotherapy works alongside that medical care, not instead of it. Go to the emergency department right away if warning signs appear, such as a headache that gets worse or vomiting more than once.
How long does concussion recovery take?
It varies. There is no set date, because recovery is different for everyone. We track it by your symptoms and by how you handle each step of activity. For many people the symptoms ease on their own. For some they last longer, and that is when treatment for balance, eye movement and the neck becomes the focus.
Can physiotherapy help with dizziness after a concussion?
Often, yes. Dizziness is one of the main things we treat after a concussion. It can come from the inner ear, from how the brain combines balance and vision, or from the neck. We test each of these and choose exercises that match the cause. Our vestibular rehabilitation therapy page explains more.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a substitute for an assessment. If you are unsure, see a health professional.