- Chest pain, trouble breathing, a sudden severe headache or pain, new weakness or numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or a fall with a head injury needs emergency care now. Call 911.
Care
After a concussion
Dizziness, balance and eye strain after a head injury your doctor has checked.
After a head injury, a doctor decides first whether you have a concussion and what you should rest from. If dizziness, balance or busy places are still hard, we test the parts that physical therapy can look at.
This care is for you if
A doctor has checked your head injury
Dizziness, unsteadiness or eye strain is still getting in the way
Busy places, screens or turning your head are harder than before
Your doctor is open to a plan from a physical therapist
What we do
Eye and head tests
How your eyes follow, settle and work with your head movements.
Balance and walking tests
Standing on foam, walking with turns and carrying out a task as you walk.
A paced plan
Exercises sized to what you can do today, raised only as it settles.
A note to your doctor
What we found and what we plan, sent with your say-so.
Your visit
What a first test looks like
One therapist, about an hour and a quarter. Bring someone with you if you like.
- 01
We hear when it happens
When the dizziness comes, how long it lasts, what sets it off and what you were doing the first time. Bring your list of medicines and anything your doctor has found.
- 02
We watch your eyes
You follow a target and look between two points while we watch how your eyes move and settle. Some people wear light video goggles so we can see the eyes in the dark.
- 03
We move your head and body
You turn your head, lie back and sit up in set positions. This can bring the dizziness on for a moment, which is part of what we are looking for. Say stop and we stop.
- 04
We test your balance
You stand on the floor and then on foam, with your eyes open and then closed, and you walk with turns. A therapist stays beside you the whole time.
- 05
We explain what we found
In plain words, with what it means for your week. You practice the first exercises with us, and with your say-so we write to your doctor.
Before you book
What decides how many visits
How you move and respond to practice, how your symptoms behave, what your doctor advises and what your day asks of you. We do not set a timeline or a number of visits at the start.
How it is paid for
We bill many kinds of plans. If you pay without insurance, we give you a written estimate before care starts.
How fees workWhen to see a doctor first
A head injury needs a doctor first. A worsening headache, repeated vomiting, confusion, a seizure, new weakness or numbness, or a fall with a head injury needs emergency care. Call 911. We do not diagnose a concussion.
Questions about this care
When can I start?
When your doctor says it is reasonable. Bring what they told you about rest and activity.
Will you tell me when I can go back to school, work or sport?
Your doctor makes that call. We tell you what we see in your balance and eye tests, and we share it with your doctor.