Role of Physiotherapist in concussion management

A physiotherapist is well-placed, whether as a primary care practitioner in community sport, or as the consistent point of athlete contact in high-performance environments to observe evolving concussion symptoms.

In uncomplicated cases the physiotherapist’s role may involve oversight and guidance through the graded return to sport framework (GRTSF).

In more complex cases, with prolonged symptoms and recovery, the physiotherapist can play a crucial role including further clinical review of cases that do not progress as expected through the Graded Return to Sport (GRTS), or management of Vestibular and Occulomotor (VOM) dysfunction in initial/ early assessment post-concussion.

Appropriate management, including cervical and VOM rehabilitation supports more complete recovery. The Interdisciplinary care flow chart for athletes with concussion helps guide health practitioners through an appropriate system for managing athletes with concussion.

It is recommended that a return to all aspects of life approach is used when rehabilitating an athlete post-concussion. This ensures that the five domains i.e., physical, cognitive, emotional, fatigue and sleep are targeted appropriately.