Understand your symptoms, what affects recovery, and when specialist support may help you get back to everyday life with confidence.
A concussion happens when a force to the head, neck or body disrupts the way the brain functions. You do not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion, and CT or MRI scans are often normal. Symptoms can affect much more than headaches and may include dizziness, fatigue, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, visual disturbance, brain fog, poor concentration, sleep changes and difficulty tolerating exercise. For most people, these symptoms improve gradually with time, although recovery can vary from person to person and is not always completely linear. When symptoms persist, the right advice, graded activity and targeted rehabilitation can help support recovery and a return to normal life.
In the early stages, the brain and nervous system are recovering from the effects of the injury. Everyday activities such as using a screen, concentrating, exercising, driving or spending time in busy environments may temporarily require more effort and provoke symptoms. For many people, this gradually settles as normal activity is resumed. For a minority, symptoms persist because different systems involved in movement, balance, vision, the neck or the body’s response to exercise have not fully recovered. Understanding why symptoms are continuing is often more useful than simply monitoring how many symptoms are present.
Concussion does not affect everyone in the same way. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue or ‘brain fog’ can arise for different reasons, and more than one system may be contributing at the same time. This is why persistent symptoms often benefit from a more detailed assessment rather than simply waiting for them to disappear. Three areas we commonly consider are the body’s response to exercise, the neck, and the systems responsible for balance and eye movement. This helps to understand different ‘types’ of concussion, though symptoms often overlap.
Following concussion, some people find that increasing their heart rate quickly brings on headache, dizziness, pressure, fatigue or other symptoms. This can reflect a temporary change in the way the nervous system regulates the body during physical activity.
The forces that cause a concussion can also affect the muscles, joints and sensory systems of the neck. This can contribute to headaches, dizziness, feelings of disorientation, and restricted movement.
Your brain constantly combines information from your eyes, inner-ear balance system and body to understand where you are and keep your vision stable while you move. A concussion can temporarily disrupt the way these systems work together.
Advice following concussion has changed. An initial period of relative rest is appropriate, particularly during the first day or two, but prolonged complete physical and cognitive rest is generally not recommended. Instead, recovery should involve a gradual return to normal daily activity as symptoms allow. Some temporary increase in symptoms during activity does not automatically mean that damage is being done. The aim is to find the right level of challenge and progressively rebuild tolerance to walking, exercise, screens, work, education and other everyday activities without repeatedly causing large or prolonged symptom flare-ups.
A successful recovery is not simply the absence of symptoms while resting. It means being able to tolerate the physical, cognitive and visual demands of everyday life again, whether that involves working at a computer, studying, driving, exercising, looking after children or returning to sport. Different activities place different demands on the brain and body, so progression should always be individual. Return to sport requires particular care because activities carrying a risk of another head impact should only be reintroduced through an appropriate graduated return-to-sport process.
Some people continue to experience symptoms for weeks or months after their injury. This is often referred to as persistent post-concussion symptoms. Persistent symptoms may reflect ongoing problems involving exercise tolerance, the vestibular or visual systems, the neck, psychological factors or a combination of these. If symptoms are not improving as expected, repeatedly return when you increase activity, or are preventing you from returning to work, education, exercise, driving or sport, a specialist assessment can help identify what may be maintaining them and whether targeted rehabilitation is appropriate. Find out more about our Concussion Clinic and specialist concussion rehabilitation in Hertford and Chelmsford.
Most people recover within a few weeks following a concussion. However, some individuals experience symptoms that persist for several weeks or months. Factors such as dizziness, neck pain, visual problems, previous concussions, migraines, or high symptom levels immediately after injury can influence recovery time. A detailed assessment can help identify the factors contributing to ongoing symptoms.
Many people develop visual motion sensitivity after concussion. Environments with lots of movement, bright lighting, patterned flooring, or visual stimulation can overload the brain’s processing systems and provoke symptoms such as dizziness, disorientation, headaches, or fatigue. Rehabilitation can help improve tolerance to these environments.
Yes. Concussion can affect eye movements, focusing ability, depth perception, and the way visual information is processed. This can lead to blurred vision, headaches, difficulty reading, screen intolerance, and concentration problems. These issues are commonly assessed as part of a specialist concussion evaluation.
Following concussion, the brain and nervous system may require more energy to process information and maintain normal function. Activities such as exercise, screen work, meetings, studying, or busy social situations can temporarily worsen symptoms. Rehabilitation helps gradually improve tolerance and restore normal activity levels.
Post-concussion syndrome, also known as persistent post-concussion symptoms, describes symptoms that continue beyond the expected recovery period. Common symptoms include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, concentration difficulties, visual problems, sleep disturbance, and exercise intolerance. In many cases, these symptoms can be improved through targeted rehabilitation.
Current evidence suggests that complete rest for prolonged periods is usually not beneficial. Carefully prescribed exercise can play an important role in recovery. We assess exercise tolerance and help clients return safely to physical activity using an individualised programme.
NeuroPhysio services include technology and treatment approaches that have proven to be effective:
