Reply To: Treatment intervals in treating concussion
Hi Christine
You can always treat the day of assessment, as long as they are not too over stimulated. If they are overstimulated, you at least might be able to treat long bones of lower extremity to start. If you would like to be/need to be cautious proceeding with treatment, you can schedule shorter treatments with higher frequency. (30 min treatments every other day for example). If you are trying to get as much treatment done in a short period of time, then it would almost be a requirement that the client refrain from much physical stimulation (concussion protocol, no exercise, no visual stimulation, etc). They would also need to hydrate, take an epsom salt bath, etc to maximize rest and healing. I would caution you to try this if the client is in fragile condition, as they may not be able to tolerate much treatment anyway. Be sure to caution the client that they may feel very rough because of all the changes in a short period of time.
You can treat the healed transverse fracture like any other primary restriction – treat when it indicates and check the vectors. You may have to be treat locally in many vectors because of the fx, and be sure to check the surrounding structures, as it was not injured in isolation. You may want to be observant to the opposite side of the fx, as it may have more injury there than you may suspect.
And of course, although they have head trauma, it will be necessary to treat the whole body and not only concentrate on the cranium. I often find that after I treat the cranium, I need to go lower in the body, then return to the cranium to continue the release, look for the back and forth and layering of the injuries. Also be sure to treat intraorally, as there is often primary restrictions that need to be treated, such as the pterygoid process, nasal septum, maxilla, etc.