A concussion is a type of brain injury that can result from a hit to the head or a blow to the head that causes your brain to jerk back and forth. Concussions occur when your brain is jarred so abruptly that it can’t get quite right itself again for a little while. This jolting movement is known as acceleration or “ac,” which can be measured in g units. It is critical for trainers and clients with a history of concussions to understand the risks of training with ac levels above 10 g. The following article will provide you with information on how to train a client with a concussion.
I saw my concussion client again today.
( This is a follow-up on the blog post: 4 Tips to Training a Client with a Concussion )
I got to give him enormous credit.
He was not pushed or forced to come to see me. But he took the initiative to exercise as he had been sitting at home for months. He started feeling the weight packing on, knowing he needed to get moving to get better.
What a champion!
5 Highlights of Training a Client with a Concussion
1. Progressing His Program
During our first session, I got him to do one set of exercises at about 40% 1RM. I let him know that he needed to watch his symptoms and he needed to watch how he felt during, after, and then the next day. I gave him the guidelines, if he felt fine the next day, to progress one set per exercise the next time he was in.
He did great. He increased to two sets but stopped there as he began to feel his symptoms when he did more than that.
2. Cardiovascular Exercises
He had been doing more around the house, so we shifted his cardiovascular program. We cut out the upright bicycle and did more weights.
Plus, he has the most significant difficulty with cardiovascular exercise bringing on his symptoms, so we took it out for right now as he is doing more activity at home.
3. Neurologist Appointment
He is off to see the neurologist. It will be interesting to see what he has to say. I am sure the neurologist will be happy that he has taken the initiative to start an exercise program and that he has an accurate measure of tolerance because of the exercise program.
4. Stretching
We expanded his program by adding some stretching. He can do these at home to work on decreasing the stress on his knee, back and neck. I did a quick muscular imbalance assessment, which put me in the right direction on what stretches to give him.
5. Core Exercises
He is not at a Core Stability for the Rehab client level. He is more at a level of Core Stability for the Lower Back. I gave him a few exercises in the health level of core stability exercises that he can do at home to address all three planes of movement.
Well, that is it. I hope a little insight into my concussive client will help you if or when you have a client with a concussion.
Take care and talk to you soon.
Rick Kaselj, MS
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