Concussion Rehabilitation in Calgary
Caring, Individualized Vestibular Physiotherapy at Home
What is Concussion?
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that disrupts how the brain processes information from the vestibular (balance), visual, and proprioceptive systems. Even when imaging is normal, the brain’s integration of these systems can become temporarily “dysregulated,” leading to dizziness and balance problems.
After a concussion, many symptoms are driven by sensory mismatch and impaired vestibular processing, which is why vestibular physiotherapy is often a key part of recovery.
Common Vestibular-related Symptoms After Concussion
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Feeling unsteady or “off-balance”
Motion sensitivity (walking in crowds, driving, scrolling screens)
Blurred or “bouncy” vision with head movement (oscillopsia)
Headaches or pressure in the head
Difficulty focusing or mental fatigue (“brain fog”)
Nausea or dizziness with movement or visual stimulation
What Causes Vestibular Issues after Concussion?
Vestibular issues after a concussion are caused by a temporary disruption in how the brain processes and integrates signals from the inner ear, eyes, and neck. Even if the inner ear itself is not damaged, the brain’s balance network can become less efficient, leading to a mismatch between what you see, feel, and sense in space. This can result in dizziness, unsteadiness, and difficulty with visual motion or head movements until the system recalibrates.
Some patients also develop secondary issues such as BPPV, cervicogenic dizziness, visual motion sensitivity or visual dependence, or PPPD.
How are Concussion and Vestibular Issues Diagnosed?
Once concussion is confirmed or diagnosed by a medical doctor, vestibular issues can be diagnosed through a clinical assessment that looks at eye movements, vestibular function, balance, and neck involvement. Because every concussion case presents uniquely, it is important to identify specific issues and triggers that affect you.
Treatment for Concussion-related Vestibular Issues
Vestibular issues after concussion are treated with progressive active rehab that helps the brain reintegrate balance, vision, and movement. Vestibular physiotherapy—often central to recovery—includes gaze-stability exercises, balance retraining, and graded exposure to movement and visual stimuli to reduce sensitivity. Treatment is individualized and may address neck dysfunction, visual motion sensitivity, or deconditioning. The goal is to restore tolerance for daily activities and reduce dizziness, imbalance, and visual strain.
Recovery time for Post-Concussion Vestibular Issues
Recovery time after concussion-related vestibular issues varies with injury severity and treatment timing. Mild cases often improve within weeks, especially with early vestibular rehab. Complex or persistent cases (visual motion sensitivity, neck issues, prolonged symptoms) can take months. Recovery is gradual, not linear, as the brain recalibrates with consistent, guided rehabilitation.
When to Seek Help
You should seek help if you experience ongoing dizziness, unsteadiness, or balance problems that are affecting your daily life or not improving over time. It’s also important to get assessed if you feel unsteady when walking, have difficulty with head movements, or are at risk of falling.
Early vestibular physiotherapy can help identify the cause and start targeted treatment to improve balance and reduce symptoms more quickly.
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A concussion is typically diagnosed clinically based on an injury event and symptoms. Imaging such as CT or MRI are typically unnecessary and would show normal findings for uncomplicated concussions. In some cases, imaging may be needed to rule out more serious injury to the brain.
For most people with a straightforward concussion, imaging is not required and does not change treatment, which is typically guided by symptoms and functional recovery rather than scan findings.
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Yes—in most cases, concussion symptoms do go away.
For most people, dizziness, headache, tiredness, and brain fog get much better within days to a few weeks as the brain heals and the balance, vision, and sensory systems reconnect.
Recovery can be slow or uneven for some, especially with issues like inner-ear (vestibular) problems, neck injuries, visual sensitivity, or returning to activity too soon. These cases are treatable and usually improve with appropriate individualized care, including vestibular physiotherapy.
Overall, the outlook is very good; most people fully or almost fully recover.
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After a concussion, flare-ups are common because the brain is still healing and relearning movement, vision, and balance. The nervous system can be more sensitive, so busy places, screens, heavy activity, stress, or a long day can bring back dizziness, headache, or tiredness for a while.
These flare-ups don’t mean you’re causing damage or getting worse — they’re the brain briefly getting overloaded. With careful pacing and a slow return to activity, they usually happen less often and get milder over time.