Children's Concussion Clinic provides comprehensive medical evaluation and treatment for children and young adults who have concussions caused by sports, accidents or falls. The pediatric concussion clinic is part of Children's neuroscience program that includes specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, neuropsychology and others that care for brain and spine issues.
Some concussions heal in just a few days, while others can take months. That's why Children's Concussion Clinic treats each concussion — and each child — individually. We'll establish the scope of your child's concussion and determine a treatment plan based on his or her specific needs. Together, we'll work to get your child back to school and play, on a schedule that's safe.
Your child’s treatment plan will address individual symptoms, which may include the following services:
Physical therapy may be recommended following your concussion for the following types of symptoms:
Occupational therapy may be recommended for the following types of symptoms:
Speech-language therapy may be recommended following your concussion for the following types of symptoms:
Objective comprehensive evaluation of cognitive/academic abilities in patients with known or suspected brain dysfunction secondary to concussion. The goal of exam is to indentify factors that could be influencing/maintaining disability and make recommendations to treat or remediate. Exam includes review of medical and school records as well as interviews of parent(s) and patient.
Provides innovative, holistic care for the whole child/family. Services include chronic pain, supportive care, holistic mental health, and mind/body interventions.
Following concussion, children can often experience many different neurological symptoms such as headache, sleep dysregulation, autonomic issues, learning difficulties, and rarely seizures. Our goal in Neurology is to help reduce the impact these symptoms have during the recovery process. We can help identify appropriate work up or other strategies to improve and/or control these symptoms. For some children when recovery is longer, Neurology will assume treatment and management strategies once the acute phase is over.
Assess hearing to rule out damage to the inner and middle ear and to auditory neural pathways following head injury. Make appropriate referrals for medical/surgical management of the ears when necessary. Discuss compensatory strategies and/or technology for management of hearing loss, ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing/concentrating in noise, and sensitivity to noise.
Assessment and treatment of psychological factors (e.g., anxiety, depression, somatoform) and/or adjustment problems related to the concussion and recovery.
Evaluation and treatment of eye sight and eye movement problems that can result from concussion. This may include difficulties with focusing, double vision, visual acuity, visual perception, vertigo, spatial judgments, and dizziness.
This page is not specific to your child, but provides general information on the topic above. If you have any questions, please call your clinic. For more reading material about this and other health topics, please call or visit Children's Minnesota Family Resource Center library, or visit www.childrensmn.org/educationmaterials.
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