Symptoms
How it tends to show up
Headache or pressure in the head; feeling foggy, slowed, or "not right"; dizziness or balance trouble; sensitivity to light or noise; neck pain and stiffness; trouble concentrating or sleeping. Any worsening or severe symptoms need urgent medical care.
How Common
You're not alone in this
A concussion is one of the most common injuries in all of medicine — somewhere between 1.4 and 3.8 million are estimated to happen in the U.S. each year, and roughly 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries send people to emergency rooms annually. Among kids ages 5 to 18, concussions account for more than half of all brain-injury ER visits. Here is the part that matters when you are worried: this is a functional disturbance — your brain's wiring got rattled, not structurally broken — and the large majority of people recover fully. You are dealing with a well-understood, very recoverable condition.
The Root
Why it keeps coming back
The same impact that concusses the brain also strains the neck, and many lingering "concussion" symptoms — headaches, dizziness, fogginess — can be driven or amplified by the neck and its guarding muscles. When those neck contributions are missed, symptoms can drag on well past the expected recovery window.
Who Gets It
Common risk factors
- Contact or collision sports (football, soccer, hockey)
- Female athletes — a higher concussion rate than males in comparable sports
- Teens and adolescents — a high-incidence age group
- Adults over 65 and children under 4
- A prior concussion (linked to longer recovery)
- Motor-vehicle and bike accidents
- Falls — the leading cause overall
- Physically demanding work (construction, landscaping)
Look-Alikes
Is it Concussion, or something else?
Several other problems can mimic this, and they're managed differently — so part of the assessment is telling them apart.
Wondering if this is what's going on — and what care would look like?
Book an Assessment →The Approach
How Dr. Imada approaches it
First and foremost, concussion is co-managed with your medical provider — that comes first. For the neck-related piece, I use Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT) to restore the neck and shoulder muscles that guard after the impact, and gentle chiropractic care to help the neck move again, which can ease cervicogenic headaches and dizziness. This is offered as supportive insight alongside medical care, not a replacement for it.
Getting Answers
How it's assessed
A concussion is diagnosed clinically — through your history and a careful exam of balance, coordination, eye movement, reflexes, and thinking — not from a scan, because standard CT and MRI usually look normal in concussion. What Dr. Imada consistently sees clinically, and what the literature increasingly confirms, is that the same force that rattles the brain often whips the neck: there is marked overlap between concussion symptoms and cervical (neck) injury, and they share nearly identical complaints — headache, dizziness, balance trouble, fog. That is the whole-person question he cares about: how much of what you are feeling is the brain settling down on its own, and how much is a neck and vestibular system that got knocked off-line and is now feeding the symptoms? A common myth is that you must black out to have a concussion — in reality over 90% of concussed people never lose consciousness. To be clear about scope: concussion is co-managed with or referred to a physician first, and Dr. Imada's role is the conservative, musculoskeletal side of recovery once you are medically cleared.
Your Visit
What to expect
Confirmation that you're being appropriately medically managed; a careful neck assessment; gentle care for the neck-driven symptoms; and clear guidance on when to seek further medical evaluation.
At Home
What you can do yourself
- Rest the first 24–48 hours, then ease back into light activity — total darkness and zero stimulation is no longer advised
- Prioritize sleep — it is one of the most important parts of recovery
- Reintroduce screens, reading, and exercise gradually, waiting at least 24 hours between step-ups
- Stop and back off if a symptom flares with an activity
- Stay hydrated and avoid alcohol while recovering
- Do not return to sport or contact risk until fully cleared by your physician
Home rest manages symptoms in the early days, but it works best alongside medically guided care that actively supports the neck, balance, and visual systems rather than simply waiting the injury out.
Outlook
Recovery & realistic timelines
Here is the honest timeline: most people improve within the first 1 to 2 weeks, and most recover clinically within about one month. A minority develop post-concussion syndrome, where symptoms linger for months — one study put the median at around 7 months — and that is exactly where a whole-person, co-managed approach earns its keep. The research is encouraging: in a randomized trial of youth and young adults with persistent symptoms, those who received combined neck (cervical) and vestibular rehabilitation were roughly 3.9 times more likely to be medically cleared to return to sport within 8 weeks than those who waited. Dr. Imada's aim, working alongside your physician, is to help shorten that arc by looking at why symptoms persist — often an upper neck and balance system that never reset — rather than leaving you to simply ride it out.
Staying Ahead
Keeping it from coming back
- Wear a properly fitted helmet for biking, skating, and contact sports
- Always use seat belts and correct car seats
- Remove trip hazards and improve lighting to prevent falls
- Use proper tools instead of standing on chairs to reach high items
- Follow stepwise return-to-play rules and never rush back
- Build neck and balance resilience once cleared to support future resilience
Related
Related conditions
FAQ
Common questions
Do I have to lose consciousness to have a concussion?
No — over 90% of people with a concussion never black out. You can be fully awake the whole time and still have one.
When do I need to go to the ER instead of seeing you?
Go to the ER right away for a worsening or severe headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, slurred speech, unequal pupils, weakness or numbness, clear fluid from the nose or ears, or escalating confusion. Those are red flags for a more serious injury that needs a physician, and Dr. Imada will refer or co-manage rather than treat alone.
Is complete rest in a dark room the right move?
Only briefly. Current guidance is 24–48 hours of relative rest, then a gradual, monitored return to activity — prolonged total rest can actually slow recovery.
Why would a chiropractor help with a brain injury?
Because much of what lingers after a concussion can come from the neck, balance, and visual systems that were jolted by the same force. Dr. Imada works conservatively on those musculoskeletal and sensorimotor pieces — within his scope and alongside your physician.
Could my symptoms actually be coming from my neck?
Often, yes. The literature shows marked overlap between concussion and whiplash-type neck injury, with nearly identical symptoms. Sorting out how much is neck-driven is a big part of what Dr. Imada assesses.
How long until I feel normal again?
Most people improve within 1–2 weeks and recover within about a month. If it is dragging on longer, that is a signal to look at the neck and vestibular system, not just to keep waiting.
Can I get a concussion checked even if scans were normal?
Yes — a normal CT or MRI is expected with a concussion, because it is a functional injury. Diagnosis and recovery are guided by clinical exam, not imaging.
What is second-impact syndrome?
It is a rare but dangerous brain swelling that can happen if you take a second hit before the first concussion has healed. It is why we never rush a return to contact activity.
Will I get long-term damage like CTE?
CTE is tied to repeated head trauma over time and can currently only be confirmed after death — there is no established link from a single, well-managed concussion. Recovering fully before any return to risk is the best protection.
Dr. Imada is trained in Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (AMIT), the CHEK Institute holistic lifestyle program, Foundation Training, and Nasal Specific — care that looks at the whole person, not just the spot that hurts.
This page is for education and is not a substitute for in-person diagnosis or treatment. Care described reflects Dr. Imada's clinical experience and current literature; individual results vary.