Concussions can lead to serious side effects that can last a long time. Whether it is a car crash, a skiing accident, a bad fall on ice, or from hockey or football, many concussions create a myriad of symptoms that should be treated sooner rather than later. Ideally, it is best to come in within the first ten days following a concussion in order to help the body before it starts compensating and creating symptoms.
At the clinic, we have treated many patients suffering from the side effects of concussions. Kim is one of these patients. She has been riding horses since she was a little girl and still finds herself in the saddle at least four times a week to stay ready for the horse shows. She doesn’t ride at the stampede, but at Spruce Meadows and other show jumping grounds. Although she competes in events different from those at the Stampede, riding horse-back in any form can cause severe injuries.
“My life has never been the same since my fall off my horse, which lead to a concussion.” Her injury is what brought her to the clinic. Horseback riders fall a lot: on their head or their bum, they get whiplash, they break bones over the years, and usually get back on their horse. Sometimes, the cumulative effects of all these falls can be too much, leading the body to decompensate, meaning it is not being able to be pain-free, adaptive, and energy efficient anymore.
Kim was complaining of insomnia, exhaustion, lack of concentration, mood swings, depression, anxiety-that would get so severe that she started experiencing panic attacks, headaches, and blurry vision. Due to the symptoms of her concussion, she often had to go home during her work day because she couldn’t look at the bright computer screen anymore. The symptoms were so unbearable that her husband didn’t know how to help her, and Kim desperately wanted to get back into horseback riding.
The treatment consisted of not only treating her skull and neck, but also involved helping her nervous system get out of the state of shock. Her entire body has been affected by the impact and so we had to make sure it was functioning optimally from head to toe! Connective tissues in the body often act as shock absorbers, and they sometimes need to be worked on in order to restore their regular function.
With techniques adapted to each bone and structure in the head–from the inside out–Cranial Osteopathy is amazing in the fact that no other treatment modalities actually treat the skull and everything it contains (which is probably why it took us six years of schooling to learn its use) Treating concussion is one of Osteopathy’s fortes for this reason.
Thanks to the treatment, Kim has returned to the summer competitions, and we wish her good luck in having many wins and as few falls as possible!