Neurofeedback for Concussion and Brain Injury

Brain injuries, including concussions, have been in the news more and more recently, with athletes like Charles Barkley warning parents not to allow their children to play high-impact contact sports and movies like Will Smith’s Concussion, about the impact of brain injury on former NFL players. In addition to sports, concussion and mild traumatic brain injury can come from car accidents and other events that “ring your bell”.  The effects of concussion can result in headaches, nausea, dizziness, irritability, hearing, and balance problem and must be addressed by a physician.  For most brain injuries, rest is the primary treatment, with possibly some medications prescribed to mitigate these symptoms.  However, most people are not aware of how effective neurofeedback for concussion and brain injury is.

Thankfully, science is giving us a better understanding about how dangerous head injuries can be – situations that, in the past, we would have down-played or down-right ignored! Local schools now do a baseline assessment for their student athletes and have an expert at games and matches to assess for concussion symptoms after impact.  But brain injury can look like other events, as well.  That fender-bender that you got into?  It wasn’t a “big enough deal” to deploy your air bags, but you found yourself disoriented afterwards and as still having headaches some time later.  That’s an example of a possible brain injury.  Or that time earlier in your childhood where you were “accidently” knocked in the head with a bat by your brother?  Sure, you had a few stitches, but you didn’t even lose consciousness. Still, you find yourself extra-sensitive to light and sound.  Could it be related? We’ve also learned that brain injury is not always “blunt force trauma”, as described above.  We have learned from Combat Veterans returning from war that “blast wave injuries”, from explosions.  The jolting of the head and skull that happens in these situations is similar to what can happen in a whiplash situation with a car accident. The brain jostles within the skull and can lead to stretching and shearing of brain matter and resulting injury. The human body is amazing at healing itself, and the brain, in particular, has an uncanny ability for neuroplasticity to heal injuries. 

Neurofeedback is like a roadmap for the brain’s healing in a more effective way.  Sometimes that roadmap means a short-cut to direct brain wave activity to healing a certain part of the brain, and sometimes the roadmap re-routes brain wave activity if the brain is directing too much energy than is beneficial to healing a part of the brain.  Like an engine, revving on high, this burns “gas” and the body’s energy and can lead to extreme fatigue.  Even well after the typical 12-18 months that brain injuries are treated by the medical community, neurofeedback can help with additional reduction of remaining symptoms.Have you had a head injury and are still experiencing symptoms?  Give us a call at 813-434-3639 to find out how Nuerofeedback for concussion and brain injury can help alleviate your symptoms.