Concussion Treatment & Management in Surrey, BC
Concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries that require a careful, graded approach to recovery. We follow the latest international protocols.
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Modern concussion care is active, not dark-room rest: after 24–48 hours of relative rest, graded exercise and targeted vestibular (balance and eye-movement) rehabilitation speed recovery. At Regenesis in Surrey, most concussions resolve within 2–8 weeks with a structured return-to-learn and return-to-play plan.
Medically reviewed by Gursheen Chawla, PTLast updated June 12, 2026
What causes concussion management?
A concussion is a functional brain injury caused by rapid acceleration of the head — from a direct blow in sport, a fall, or the whiplash motion of a car accident; no loss of consciousness is required, and most concussions occur without one. The forces temporarily disrupt how brain cells regulate energy, producing headaches, fog, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and noise. Two commonly involved systems sit squarely within physiotherapy's scope: the vestibular system (balance and motion sensing) and the ocular-motor system (eye tracking and focusing), which drive symptoms like dizziness in busy environments and difficulty reading. The upper neck is strained in the same event in most cases, and cervicogenic symptoms — headache, neck stiffness, some dizziness — frequently masquerade as lingering concussion, which is why we assess and treat the neck in every concussion patient.
Symptoms we treat
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or balance difficulties
- Difficulty concentrating or feeling 'in a fog'
- Sensitivity to light and noise
- Headaches that worsen with mental or physical exertion
Red flags — when to seek urgent care
These signs need medical assessment before physiotherapy:
- Worsening headache, repeated vomiting, or increasing drowsiness — go to the emergency department
- Seizure, slurred speech, or weakness/numbness in the arms or legs
- One pupil larger than the other, or unusual behaviour and increasing confusion
- Loss of consciousness at any point after the injury
- Neck pain with severe restriction after high-speed trauma
How we assess it at Regenesis
Our screening includes vestibular testing (balance), ocular-motor assessment (eye tracking), and a review of your symptom clusters. We also monitor your heart rate response to exertion.
Treatment approach
Management includes vestibular rehabilitation, vision therapy exercises, and a graded exertion program. We provide clear 'Return to Learn' and 'Return to Play' guidance for athletes and students.
Our approach is multimodal, often integrating Physiotherapy and Kinesiology to manage acute symptoms while building long-term physiological resilience. We emphasize patient education, ensuring you understand the mechanical factors behind your condition so you can play an active role in your recovery.
Recovery timeline & prognosis
Most adults recover within 2–4 weeks and adolescents within 4 weeks, provided management is active: brief initial rest, then symptom-limited aerobic exercise, vestibular and ocular-motor rehab where indicated, and a stepwise return to school, work, and sport. Roughly one in five people has symptoms beyond a month — persisting symptoms respond to targeted treatment of the specific systems involved (vestibular, visual, cervical, exertional) rather than more rest. We monitor heart-rate response to exertion to set safe, progressive activity levels at each stage.
Exercises you can start today
Gentle starting points — stop if symptoms sharply increase, and see the red flags above before self-managing.
1. Symptom-limited walking
Starting 24–48 hours after injury, walk daily at a pace that raises your heart rate without pushing symptoms more than mildly above baseline. Sub-symptom aerobic exercise is one of the best-evidenced accelerators of concussion recovery.
2. Gentle neck range of motion
Slowly turn your head left and right, then tilt ear to shoulder, within comfortable limits, 5 repetitions each direction a few times daily. The neck is almost always involved in the same injury and contributes to headaches and dizziness.
3. Gaze stabilization (when prescribed)
Holding a thumb at arm's length, keep your eyes fixed on it while turning your head side to side for 30 seconds. Introduced once assessed, this retrains the vestibulo-ocular reflex that causes dizziness with head movement. Stop if symptoms spike sharply.
Concussion Management care in Surrey
Concussion patients at our Newton clinic come mainly from two directions: athletes from Surrey's hockey, soccer, football, and rugby programs needing formal return-to-play clearance pathways, and ICBC patients whose concussion came with whiplash in a motor vehicle accident. For ICBC claims we bill directly and treat the concussion and neck together — which the evidence supports, since their symptoms overlap heavily. Our vestibular-trained physiotherapist guides 'return to learn' plans for students at Surrey schools and post-secondary programs alongside the athletic protocols.
What to Expect
Typical Timeline
2-8 weeks for most; however, recovery can be longer in complex cases. for significant improvement.
Prognosis
The focus is on resolving vestibular-ocular symptoms and ensuring the brain and nervous system can handle normal physical and cognitive loads again.