Concussions
have become more common in our everyday lives and it is not only due to sports
accidents. I recently went to the local fruit store where the cashier did not
look to healthy. She had just been diagnosed with a concussion after smashing
her head in the freezer.
For Montreal
business woman Kathy Cohen this all hit home after her daughter, an excellent
basketball player, suffered two concussions. When she sought assistance in the
medical community she realized that there were not too many options where this
could be dealt with under one roof. So she went about setting up her own
operation. Neurocircuit opened quietly at the end of
August at the revamped Decarie Square.
The state-of-the-art facility is located within the Kinatex Physiotherapy
headquarters.
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| Kathy Cohen, Diane Saucier and Julia Peress |
This is a
complete concussion management center offering education, baseline testing,
post-injury assessment, post-injury therapy and strategies to facilitate return
to school, work and play. Jonathan Cohen, Kathy’s son, is a personal trainer
and works with kinesiologists Diane Saucer and Julia Peress. They also work
with physiotherapists, occupational
therapists and athletic therapists.
 |
| Jonathan Cohen |
“We are
offering a service that has expertise,
care and compassion,” says Kathy Cohen. “There is a personalized aspect to what
we do.”
The team at
Neurocircuit believe that proper management of concussions starts with
recognition followed by immediate and decisive action. Studies show that those
who understand the severity of concussions are more likely to report them. Dr.
Charles Tatar, a neurologist from the University of Toronto stated that there
is evidence that education about concussion leads to a reduction in the
incidence of concussion and improved outcomes from concussion.
Baseline testing is used to assess
an individual’s processing speed, attention span, learning ability, reaction
speed, eye tracking, balance and working memory. The
results would be compared to pre-injury or baseline results
to determine if there has been a decline in neurocognitive functioning,
reaction time, balance and/or vision. In the absence of a baseline test, the
post-injury results can be compared to normative data. Research has shown,
however, that the “average performance” scores represented in the normative
data can vary significantly thereby reducing the accuracy of the results.
An initial
visit will enable the clinician to gather medical history and to gain a
thorough understanding of the mechanism of injury and the severity of the
symptoms. This will be followed by a series of assessments designed to identify
and isolate the source of the symptoms. The assessments could include
computerized neurocognitive testing, balance evaluation, strength and
coordination screening, binocular vision screening, vestibular testing, a gait
assessment, a generalized neurological screen and an orthopaedic assessment of
secondary injuries. The various assessment tools provide objective results which
will help guide treatment. The referring physician will receive a report
outlining the results of the assessment.
Based on the
information gathered, an individualized treatment and training plan will be
developed. The clinician will design a treatment plan to target, isolate,
challenge and strengthen the areas of weakness. Using state of the art
assessment and treatment tools including Dynavision D2, Neurotracker, and
Fitlight, the clinician will be able to train the injured person’s cognitive,
visual and vestibular systems. In addition to clinical treatment, the
individual will be given a home exercise program in order to expedite recovery.
Progress reports will be available to referring physicians upon request.
Protocols
dictate that the individual should avoid any visual or cognitive stimulation
for the 48 hours following a concussion to allow his/her brain to heal. Post
concussive symptoms can vary in intensity and duration. Depending on the
symptoms, students may sometimes return to school with certain accommodations.
Social interaction in a school environment can play a positive role in the
resolution of emotional symptoms.
Once the athlete is able to complete the visual,
vestibular and/or cognitive exercises symptom free, the clinician will add a
physical component to the treatment sessions. Neurocircuit’s Return to Play
protocols will continue to challenge the athlete. Adding visual, vestibular,
reactive and decision-making components to the high intensity physical training
session will help prepare the athlete for game play. The decision to clear the athlete will be made
by the treating physician. Neurocircuit will provide the medical doctor with a
report with the most recent results.
The clinic is also getting in to sports vision training, which is intended to improve the athlete’s ability to process what they see. Many professional athletes are incorporating vision training in their weekly routines. Studies have shown vision training will boost performance in the following sports: baseball, hockey, basketball, football, tennis, soccer, golf and martial arts. Neurocircuit already has some elite athletes as clients.
Meanwhile, Neurocircuit will also be getting in to working
with youngsters who have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit
and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
For more information call 514-739-8555 or email info@neurocircuit.ca
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