Resolution of professional hockey players's concussion
symptomatology allowing him to return to play following a
brain-based therapy approach: a case study
-
1
Illinois Neuro and Physical Rehab, United States
-
2
Core Elite, United States
Background:
A 25-year-old male hockey player presented to the functional neurology clinic with symptoms
of a previous concussion that occurred 1 year prior. Symptoms included headache with 7/10
pain stemming from the right sub-occipital region, blurred vision, light sensitivity, fluctuating
mood, and a significant decrease in short term memory.
Methods:
A neurological examination revealed hyperesthesia of C5-C6 and V2 on the right and L4-L5, V1,
V3 on the left. Vibration was diminished on the right with associated spreading distal to proximal
bilaterally. Saccades in the vertical plane were subjectively challenging and caused facial
grimacing. Horizontal pursuits were smooth but with associated head movement. Vertical
pursuits displayed saccadic intrusions throughout. Convergence/divergence testing displayed a
retropulsion activity and an increase in headache. Rapid alternating movements were slower on
his right. He demonstrated an increased FRA on the left during testing of plantar reflex. Pincer
test was Grade 1 on the left and Grade 2 on the right with hesitations. Toe tap was decreased
bilaterally with hesitations. During gait, he displayed a decreased arm swing bilaterally, but more
pronounced on his right which was maintained during dual tasking. Dual tasking caused
freezing and hesitations with ambulation. The patient was diagnosed with post-concussive
syndrome. A treatment plan was implemented including gaze stability exercises, nonlinear
complex movements on the left upper and lower extremities, bead string exercises, oxygen
therapy, and rotation therapy.
Results:
The patient was seen in the office for 10 visits and given at-home therapies to perform each
day. He saw significant improvements in his symptoms with complete resolution of
headaches. Objective indicators in gaze stability, horizontal and vertical pursuits, horizontal
and vertical saccades, and optokinetics.
Conclusions:
An NHL player suffering from post-concussive symptoms experiences complete resolution of
headaches and improvement in objective findings following multi-modal brain based therapy.
Further investigation is needed to determine other interventions that may aid in post-concussive
brain based therapy.
Keywords:
Cocnussion,
Sport Performance Enhancement,
Functional Neurology,
conservative treatment,
Receptor Based Therapy
Conference:
International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: Clinical Neuroscience for Optimization of Human Function, Orlando, United States, 7 Oct - 9 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Abstracts ISCN 2016
Citation:
Michalopoulos
G,
Holas
M,
Drzewiecki
M and
Drzewiecki
C
(2016). Resolution of professional hockey players's concussion
symptomatology allowing him to return to play following a
brain-based therapy approach: a case study.
Front. Neurol.
Conference Abstract:
International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: Clinical Neuroscience for Optimization of Human Function.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2016.59.00019
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Received:
19 Aug 2016;
Published Online:
07 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. George Michalopoulos, Illinois Neuro and Physical Rehab, Wood Dale, Illinois, 60191, United States, dr.george.michalopoulos@illinoisneuro.com