Concussion Essentials Program
Concussion Essentials Program
Concussion Essentials is an end-to-end comprehensive concussion service created jointly by the research team at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Neurological Rehabilitation Group. Our model of care consists of Education, Physiotherapy and Psychology. Despite the community awareness of concussion increasing over recent years, community understanding and knowledge is poor. Around 30% of children and adults who sustain a concussion will still have symptoms at one month post injury. Our mission is to provide the appropriate individual education and guidance to reduce this number and identify those who will need specific tailored management early and reduce the burden of ongoing symptoms. Below are some options to access our services:
Treatment By Tuesday Support Line
Evidence would support that one of the best prognostic indicators of recovery is contact with an expert within 7 days post-concussion. Treatment by Tuesday is a phone service run out of NRG by concussion trained clinicians to offer bespoke advice on how to manage early recovery and navigate a graded return to activity. Aimed to support early recovery post- concussion and give tailored individual advice on activity, return to school/work, return to sport and things like screen time and other questions. It is hoped that with better navigation of the first days and weeks post-concussion that we will reduce the number of people with persisting symptoms later in the recovery. This service is available for adults and children.
This service is currently available twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. To book in follow this link:
https://neurological-rehabilitation-group.au1.cliniko.com/bookings
Paper: Kontos et al. Association of time since injury to first clinic visit with recovery following a concussion. JAMA Neurology 2020
School education:
Vicki and Katie offer a comprehensive school education program to teachers, parents and students. Education can be tailored to the school and the year level. They also can help develop school concussion protocols. If this is something you are interested in contact Katie through the clinic.
MCRI Concussion Clinic (in person):
Based at the MCRI in Parkville, this is a publicly run clinic available to children under 18 who are 3 weeks post-concussion. Earlier referral is possible through the phone call service. above if there is an escalation by the clinician on the calls. Currently the clinic runs on a Tuesday and Thursday. Initial appointments are with a physiotherapist and a psychologist the rehabilitation program consists of education, physiotherapy, psychology and exercise physiology. Appointments are subject to availability and wait list.
Concussion Exercise Physiologist Service
Concussion Return To Play Assessment
Neurological Rehabilitation Group is committed to facilitating the safe return of concussed athletes to contact sports and competitive play once they are symptom-free and capable of performing at their usual ability. Our exercise physiology service has developed a comprehensive Return to Play assessment protocol, which is crucial for making informed decisions regarding the suitability of resuming play and contact.
This assessment involves a series of tests designed to challenge the visual, vestibular, and cervical systems under conditions of fatigue. Our exercise physiologists tailor these assessments to reflect the specific demands of each athlete’s sport. The athletes reaction time, decision-making ability, movement speed, hand-eye coordination, balance, and symptom provocation are all closely monitored throughout.
Following the assessment, our exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, and the broader medical team will come together to discuss and determine the appropriateness of the athlete's return to play and contact.
