Schmidt's Athletic Therapy

08/03/2025

So now we’ve talked about concussions. What do you do about them?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic cure all. As we’ve covered, there’s different categories of symptoms for concussions and the symptoms in those categories can require different treatment or a longer time to allow healing.

Normal healing time for a concussion can range from 1 week to 6-8 weeks. Most concussions are considered healed in 2-4 weeks.

How to know if your concussion hasn't fully healed? Are there symptoms that you have after your concussion that you didn't have before your concussion? It's time to get checked out!

Healing is going to be symptom dependent. Now because each concussion can be different, healing time from one concussion to the next can also be dependent.

Just a small headache from walking into a hanging pot will heal faster than being knocked out and waking up with a migraine for example.

The key things to know about concussion healing time line:

- Avoid things that make your symptoms worse (if at all possible, engaging in things that aggravate your symptoms can prolong healing)

- You don’t have to isolate yourself in the dark (it’s old science that said a room in the dark with no light)

- Avoid alcohol (concussions are now thought to have a metabolic disruptive aspect, drinking alcohol delays any processing that needs to happen to heal)

- You may or may not need to avoid screens or physical activity (see point 1, avoid things that make your symptoms worse)

There’s things like the vestibular system, ocular testing, muscle tension and appropriate breathing mechanics that may be impacted by larger concussions. Resolving these issues be helpful for recovery.

Think these things might help? Book in to see me at the clinic!

07/25/2025

So last week I posted about concussions. In that post I made reference to the number times in the past that I had had concussions.

The ones I didn’t recognize until much later – maybe you’ve had a similar experience.

Maybe in the last few years you’ve heard from the sports world the effects of cumulative concussions.

Did you know the effects of concussions are cumulative? You would think that it would only be the concussions that happened closer together that would count, right? Sorry to say that’s incorrect.

Cumulative concussions can occur hours, days, weeks or even years apart. Yup, you read that right, years. Even mild concussions can have cumulative effects. Or to say it all fancy – repetitive sub concussive hits can be cumulative.

Bad news for me to knocked my head into three different hanging plants in one day. Except, just hitting your head doesn’t mean you’ve had a concussion. In fact, you can pass out from hitting your head, but not have a concussion. Brains are weird. But that’s a topic for a different post.

Ah, but helmets! Hard hats! These things will help prevent concussions! While helmets and hard hats do prevent injuries – those injuries are geared towards skull fractures, not keeping the jello of your brain from sloshing around in your skull.

Now, concussions are mostly considered cumulative if you haven’t fully recovered from the prior concussion. Recovery times can vary between concussions – but again that’s a topic for another post.

If you get a concussion and haven’t recovered from the first one, your recovery time increases. It can double or even take seven times longer to recover from the symptoms. Symptoms you currently have can regress to where they were at the beginning of your concussion or even get worse than the original symptoms.

The worst sort of symptom that can occur is Second Impact Syndrome. It’s very rare, but this is what’s inspired things like Rowan’s Law in the NFL and the NHL to take concussions so seriously. It’s when a second blow to the head causes death. It’s when the first concussion causes a minor brain bleed, but the second blow turns it into a full blown aneurysm.

Again, if you’ve been following sports for the last few years you may have heard about CTE or chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

This is the result of multiple head injuries causing concussions, then another concussion occurring before the previous concussion has healed. Likely something that won’t happen if you aren’t playing in the NFL or in the military or something similar to that. The only way to know you have had CTE is a post-mortem diagnoses. Though people are trying to create diagnostic tools to be able to screen for it in living humans.

Repetitive concussions leading to CTE are associated with symptoms such as memory loss, mood swings, aggression, depression, dementia, attention deficit, difficulty processing, memory issues, and problems making decisions. There are increased risks of developing clinical depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

Symptoms may appear years after your last head injury. Symptoms similar to Parkinsons, speech and gait issues, and personality changes take time to occur.

Why the delay in some symptoms some times? The most up to date research has linked a build up of Tau Protein in the brain to CTE. The tau protein disrupts cell function and leads to brain cell death.

All right, you have this thing – what’s the cure? At this point we don’t have one. Treatment focuses on managing whatever symptoms have developed. It’s for this reason that prevention is talked about so much, especially in sports now a days.

If you think you have a concussion, finding someone to help you manage and heal is important. You want to rest – both in terms of thinking and physically. You want to avoid hitting your head until you’ve fully recovered. You want to get screened to see if you have in fact healed, or have only gotten mostly there.

We shall talk more and prevention, management and treatment next time!

07/17/2025

What is something you address as an Athletic Therapist? Concussions!

I hate it when people bury the lead in their posts, so right on top, when you have a suspected concussion, when should you seek medical help (no if, and’s, buts or maybes about it – this is when you NEED to go to the ER).

Red Flags for concussions (pulled from the SCAT6):
1) Neck pain or tenderness
2) Seizure or convulsion
3) Double vision
4) Loss of consciousness
5) Weakness or tingling/burning in more than 1 arm or in the legs
6) Deteriorating conscious state
7) Vomiting
8,) Severe or increasing headache
9) Increasingly restless, agitated or combative
10) Visible deformity to the skull

Hope that didn’t scare you! It’s really important to know that. Might save a life. Want to stop there? Alright. Want to know a bit more about concussion? Read on!

Fact or fiction – you must pass out to have a concussion? Fiction! You’ve probably had a few concussions in your life, and just didn’t realize that that’s what is was. I know once I’d learned more I’ve reflected on a few situations and realized that that was what a concussion felt like.

What is a concussion? It’s like a bruise on your brain. Imagine your brain is like jello in a bowl. If the bowl is shaken the jello will move in the bowl, the harder you shake the more the jello moves. As the jello moves and squishes to the sides of the bowl – that’s where the injury occurs. If you add a twisting motion to the shaking you can see the jello separate.

Or if you prefer the more scientific way of saying things: A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs when a blow or jolt to the head or body causes the brain to move rapidly back and forth inside the skull.

I think the analogy makes the science speak make more sense personally.

What happens when you get a concussion? It can cause chemical changes in the brain, sometimes damaging brain cells. Your body is pretty good at repairing itself, people used to think that your brain stopped growing once you reached maturity. It’s now been proven that your brain continues to adapt throughout your lifetime.

What can cause a concussion? A fall, hitting your head (I leaned forward to pick something up, almost smacked my head onto the shelf above – nearly concussed myself then! Or the time I opened my car door into my face. Don’t do that for those who’ve not had the experience), blows to the chest or torso (think a soccer ball hit, or furniture whacking you in the chest as you try to move it), and then the obvious ones – sports, car/vehicle accidents, explosions etc.

What do concussions feel like? Ok, now you’ve reflected and realized you’ve had a concussion – you know what to look out for in the future now, right? Sorry, each concussion can be completely different. Different symptoms, and different severities.

There’s a whole list of things that you may or may not feel. I might have a mild headache, but the world might be spinning like a top (the time I got double-bounced on the trampoline into someone’s knee) and I feel like I never want to eat again (nausea), or I might have a headache and be rather irritable (the time I picked up a 50lb box and stood up into the strut supporting the shelf above me).
Some of the potential symptoms include: headache, nausea (not wanting to eat, upset stomach), vomiting (if you hit your head and vomit go to the ER), dizziness or balance problems, sensitivity to light and noise, and blurred vision.

But wait! Those are all physical symptoms. There’s also mental symptoms: fatigue, feeling off (like something isn’t right, but can’t say what), feeling slowed down, like you have been separated from the world by a layer of cotton batting, confusion, and trouble concentrating or remembering.

Emotional symptoms include things like irritability, mood swings, anxiety and depression. You may find that you have trouble falling sleeping, or have trouble waking up. Or that the hours you sleep have changed.

Remember, concussions are actually more commonplace than you think, and are usually not life-threatening. The effects of some concussions can be serious. Even a mild concussion can have impact on function, memory, mood or concentration.

06/24/2025

Have an accident?

Need some help transitioning back into activity/life?

ICBC has you covered* for sessions!

In a car crash? ICBC’s Enhanced Care covers way more than you think.
✅ Chiropractic
✅ Massage therapy
✅ Athletic Therapy
✅ Acupuncture

Saanichton Chiropractic Group offers ICBC direct billing and complete post-accident care—no referral needed in the first 12 weeks.

📖 Learn what’s covered
📞 Book your recovery visit today

06/07/2025

Coming to the Brentwood festival today? The booth is all set up!

When you come out and say Hi you can enter a draw for a free Athletic Therapy Session!

Look forward to seeing you there.

06/06/2025

Do you have benefits through Telus Health? Soon you will be able to use direct billing for your Athletic Therapy visits!

Send a message to learn more

05/31/2025

Wondering what's going on? Where to find me? What to talk about what I do without having to make an appointment?

Come see me at the Brentwood Festival June 7th! I'll be manning the booth for Brentwood Chiropractic and would love it if you stopped by!

03/29/2025

Hello! If you have wanted Athletic Therapy to be covered under your benefits or are interested in helping Athletic Therapy to be better recognized by Insurance providers, can you spend a few minutes to fill out this form?

https://athletictherapybc.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=399d2b606c614952472389493&id=61d7a0b2c8&e=b54490811f

Athletics Therapists have been working hard to be recognized by insurance providers to be covered similar to other professions.

Thank you for your support!

11/11/2024

As busy and chaotic as life gets. Take a moment today to reflect. To remember.

To thank those for their service so we can have the lives we lead.

A REMEMBRANCE DAY VIDEO for schools/ceremony's (also VETERANS DAY) CANADIAN SOLDIER TRIBUTE VIDEO 2023. New "In Flanders Fields" Video: https://youtu.be/9fch...

02/21/2024

But, what do you do? Here's a link to a 5min read about myself and Sydney (we both work at Brentwood Chiropractic).

Curious about my bio? Want to read it in full? Well it's included in the article. So I guess you'll just have to read it to find out.

We will be offering Athletic Therapy as of February 1st In the dynamic world of sports and fitness, injuries are an inevitable part of the journey. Whether you're a professional athlete or a weekend warrior in Brentwood Bay, the need for effective rehabilitation and injury prevention is paramount. A...

02/20/2024

Hello everyone! It's been a while. Wondering where you can find me? I'm working with the awesome Ashley Murray and Mike Hadbavny at their new Brentwood clinic!

Found beside the delicious Politano Cafe. They've even got a dedicated room for exercise therapy! How cool is that!

07/18/2023

FAQ2: If I don't have to be an athlete to work with you, how do I know when to go see an athletic therapist?

A: Athletic therapists are musculoskeletal specialists, meaning they work with muscle, bones, and joint injuries. So, you can see an athletic therapist for any acute or chronic musculoskeletal injuries, as well as they can help you with injury prevention, postoperative care, pain management strategies, active rehabilitating, and bridging the gap between rehabilitation and performance - ultimately helping you return to the activities you love!

I have recently discovered a passion for learning and working with chronic pain and showing people how movement can positively influence their pain experience.

Long story short, athletic therapy is for everyone! Reach out today to see how athletic therapy may be able to help you move and feel better!