Craven: Concussions

Craven: Concussions

“These Tips Will Help With Your Injury!” HEALTH TOP 5 TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CONCUSSIONS

August, 2018

INSIDE • Top 5 Treatment Options For Concussions • Exercise Essentials •Client Spotlight • Healthy Recipe • Staff Spotlight • Craven NEWS • 5 Nutrition Tips for Athletes 1. Exercise Therapy. Following concussion, animal (and many human) studies have demonstrated a reduction in blood flow to the brain in the early stages. Recent research has found that these blood flow changes may persist for some time following injury. This may be why you are feeling okay when completely resting, but have an increase in your symptoms as soon as you try to walk up a flight of steps, go to work, or read a book. The good news is that this problem can be tested for and rehabilitated very easily; provided you know what you’re doing! The rehabilitation for this problem actually goes against conventional thought: exercise! (continued inside)

HEALTH &FITNESS Sport Physiotherapy | Orthopedic Rehabilitation | Training August, 2018 “Ever Wonder What Can be Done For A Concussion?” TOP 5 TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR CONCUSSIONS

2. Manual Therapy. With every concussion, there is also a whiplash. Studies have demonstrated that the acceleration required to cause a concussion is somewhere between 70 and 120 G’s (where G = force of gravity = 9.8m/s2). Whiplash, on the other hand has been shown to occur at only 4.5 G’s. It is therefore conceivably impossible for a concussion to occur without also causing a sprain or strain injury to your neck! In fact, a Canadian study found that 100% of the time, these injuries are happening together. What becomes even more confusing is that the signs and symptoms of whiplash and neck dysfunction are the exact same as concussion! Headaches, cognitive and emotional problems, balance problems and dizziness, eye movement control problems, and brain blood flow abnormalities have all been shown to occur in whiplash and neck pain patients. There is actually no way to tell if the symptoms are coming from your neck or from your concussion except with testing. In a recent unpublished study with the University of Buffalo, the researchers found that there was absolutely no difference in the symptoms that whiplash patients report and the symptoms that concussion patients report. Concussion is an injury that typically resolves quite quickly in most people (symptoms generally disappear for 80-90% of patients within 7 to 10 days); however, whiplash symptoms can linger for up to a year or more. So, if you are still having what you think are concussion symptoms, even if you don’t have neck pain, you may actually be suffering from symptoms that are coming from your

neck; which are easily treated with manual therapy and rehabilitative exercises. 3. Diet/Nutritional Changes. With injury to any tissue, there is inflammation; concussions are no exception with several studies demonstrating increased inflammatory markers following injury. Concussion results in a metabolic dysfunction (read: energy deficit) in the initial stages, which is why rest is important early on; anything that burns energy, such as thinking or physical activity, can increase symptoms. It is important to note however that the majority of studies examining this metabolic disruption show a recovery between 22 and 45 days after injury. In other words, beyond a 3-6 week period there is little metabolic explanation for your symptoms; unless of course you did not rest in the initial stages and/or received a second concussion soon after the first. Treatment options for both of these things can include simple dietary changes such as avoiding pro-inflammatory foods (red meats, refined sugars, white breads and pastas, artificial sweeteners) and replacing them with healthier options such as fruits and vegetables, fresh caught fish (salmon, mackerel, herring), and good fats (coconut oil, flax seed, almonds). These changes may help to offset an ongoing inflammatory response and reduce your symptoms. Although still in it’s infancy, there is increasing support for various supplements such as Omega-3 fatty acids, creatine, curcumin, magnesium glycinate,

and melatonin. Please speak with your healthcare professional prior to starting on any supplements as there can occasionally be adverse effects and/ or interactions with other medications that you may be taking. 4. Vestibular and Visual Rehab. Dizziness is one of the most common ongoing complaints of patients with persistent symptoms. This may be due to a number of overlapping issues such as problems with the balance centers of your brain, your visual system, and/or problems with the muscle and joint sensors of your neck. Visual system problems may also be one of the causes of ongoing cognitive complaints such as trouble with concentration and/or memory. Testing for each of these areas requires extensive knowledge of each of the systems and how they may interact. 5. Education and Reassurance (due to Psychological Comorbidities). It has been well established that patients with a pre-existing history of depression and/ or anxiety tend to have prolonged symptoms. Not only that, the symptoms of these and other mental health conditions can result in, or mimic, the same symptoms of concussion (dizziness, mental confusion, concentration problems, sadness, emotional outbursts). Many of these issues can begin before or after the concussion. In most cases, patients often feel much better following some education and reassurance.

Source: Complete Concussion Management: https://completeconcussions. com/2016/06/29/top-5-evidence-based-treatment-concussion/

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DIRECT BILLING CRAVEN NEWS We are excited to offer you Direct Billing through Telus Health! Only the following Insurance Providers are covered through Telus Health Direct Billing: • Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance • Cowan Insurance Group • Desjardins Insurance • Great West Life • iA Financial Group • Johnson • Johnston Group • Manulife • Maximum Benefit • Sun Life Financial • First Canadian • CINUP For any insurance providers not listed, we will still require payment at the end of every appointment and will provide you with the receipts to submit to your insurance.

We would like to welcome a new member to our Craven team! Angela Tryhuba! Angela will be working with Bruce Craven and the Trainers at our clinic, as well as working part-time at the Front Desk. Angela graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in April of 2017 from the College of Kinesiology. Her time at the U of S was spent doing medical coverage for Huskie sports teams (volleyball and football), where she received experience with high performance sports injuries and rehabilitation. She is a CSEP Certified Personal Trainer and has had the pleasure of working with a variety of clients. She is also currently working on attaining her CSEP Certified Exercise Physiologist. Angela grew up playing every sport she could, focusing on track, volleyball and dance. As much as she loved competing, her passion has become helping athletes be able to perform in their sport and helping people live healthy day-to-day lives. Congratulations! Congratulations to Steve and Josline who welcomed their baby boy into the world on July 3rd! Welcome little Dominic Irinici!

“Hi, my name is Giselle Camm and I am 43 years old. I came to Craven one year ago to accomplish two personal goals. Goal One was to work toward getting back to a healthy weight, ordered by my doctor in-the-know about my family’s history of heart disease. Goal Two was to help protect myself from injury before I ventured into goaltending for our small town women’s rec hockey team, learning how to play goal at my seasoned age. Here now, a year later, I feel absolutely invigorated and wondering what all I can accomplish. I’m excited that my teammates joined in for hockey- tailored training together with me too. Working with Jill Gallays and the Craven training staff has been truly inspiring and motivating for all of us. My continuing development in strength and fitness has kept me safely on the ice and allowed me to have so much fun sliding around in goal I could never have imagined. Thank you, Craven!” - Giselle C. CLIENT SPOTLIGHT Giselle Camm

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

MICHELLE KEENE Michelle Keene has been playing competitive soccer and basketball for many years. She has competed at a number of provincial and national events, as both a player and coach. She started her post-secondary education at Medicine Hat College where she was a member of the collegiate basketball and soccer teams. She was named Outstanding Female Athlete in 2008-2009 and received Academic Athletic Awards each year. Her passion for basketball continues through coaching. She previously coached at Holy Cross High School for 8 years and recently transitioned to coach with the provincial program this summer. She continues to play soccer competitively, traveling to club Nationals for the past three seasons with SK Impact FC. The teamwill be competing for a spot at Nationals again this season, which will be hosted in Saskatoon over the Thanksgiving weekend. Make sure to keep an eye out for the event and come to support your local teams!

CALLCRAVENSPORTSERVICES IFYOUHAVEAQUESTION Call If: • You have back pain at the end of the day • You have trouble enjoying time with family due to pain • You have limited mobility at work • You have trouble bending or reaching • Your joints are stiff or swelling • Suffering with pain from an old injury Get Answers For Your Aches & Pains. Call: 306.934.2011

HEALTH & WELLNESS TIPS FOR THE SUMMER 5 Nutrition Tips for Athletes

1. Mind your greens. For athletes the focus is almost always on carbs and protein. One provides the fuel, and the other provides the restorative power to heal our muscles and keep us training at a high level. Protein and carbs are important, but so are the minerals and vitamins that facilitate their delivery and help to process them. Eat vegetables at every major meal, and try layering your vegetables. Have two or three different veggies at a time. 2. Crush some berries to boost recovery. Want an easy way to reduce soreness? Accelerate your recovery efforts between sessions in the gym by crushing some blueberries. Eat 1-2 cups of berries a day to take advantage of these benefits. 3. Use protein as the anchor for your meals. As an athlete you already know the importance of crushing a fair amount of protein in order to keep your muscles recovering and prepared for battle. The lists of benefits of getting your protein in are substantial and are a bedrock part of the high performance athlete’s diet. Adequate protein intake maintains muscle, improves recovery, might improve cognition and sleep. 4. Take advantage of sleep to increase recovery. Instead of using your sleepy time for solely catching up on your Z’s, you can help charge the recovery process overnight by consuming some pre-bed, slow digesting protein. These protein sources before bed will turn what is an otherwise catabolic 8 hours into productive recovery, repair and growth. If you want to take it to the next level, plan a meal in the middle of the night. 5. Prep your meals. High performance athletes understand that periodization and preparation is everything when it comes to training. This kind of planning and evaluation should extend to the way you are fueling yourself. Do this by having your meals ready before you stumble in the door after a day of crushing workouts. Planning and prepping your meals ahead of time insures that you are making better choices. After a long day of up to 6 hours in the pool and the gym the last thing you wanted to do was prepare a meal.

And so what happened? The convenience of the less healthy options almost always won out.

Sources: http://www.yourworkoutbook.com/nutrition-athletes/

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Try these movements if you are experiencing pain. Stretches Neck Muscles EXERCISE ESSENTIALS Relieve Aches & Pains In Minutes Without Pain Medication! CHIN TUCK While sitting with good posture gently tuck chin in (nod yes). Repeat 6 times.

CERVICAL RETRACTION Stand with your back against a wall. Position a rolled up towel behind your neck. Tuck chin like you are nodding ‘yes’. Draw your chin closer to the back of your throat. Repeat 3 times.

Strengthens Joints In Neck

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www.simpleset.net

Always consult your physiotherapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.

Zucchini Linguine Recipe

INGREDIENTS • 1 lb tomatoes, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon chopped basil • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

• 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 small red chile, seeded & minced • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • 12 ounces linguine • 3 baby zucchini, thinly sliced • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving DIRECTIONS In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, chile and olive oil. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine; drain well. Add the linguine to the bowl along with the sliced zucchini and toss. Add the 1/4 cup of grated cheese, toss again and serve in bowls, passing more cheese at the table.

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