BRAIN GAINS: Founder of Concussion Navigation Services, Stacey Ritter, explained that the clinic completed a "robust certification program" called Complete Concussion Management, making it one of only six certified clinics in the state of California.
In the past, health care practitioners advised patients with concussions to "rest and wait." Now, research suggests this might not be the most effective approach after all.
According to Stacey Ritter, a certified athletic trainer and founder of Concussion Navigation Services, patients recover faster and more fully by participating in physical, cognitive, balance, and visual activities guided by someone experienced in concussion management. With March being Brain Injury Awareness Month, she wants to spread awareness about the signs and symptoms of concussions and the most effective ways to treat them.
"The most current research evidence is very clear that 'rest and wait' is no longer considered the best practice and that early active rehab leads to the best outcomes," Ritter explained.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that a designated day of cognitive and physical rest did not shorten post-concussion recovery time. This finding corroborated a previous study suggesting that light activity does not necessarily negatively impact the healing process.
Patients can start rehabilitation as soon as day three after a concussion, Ritter said. Since everyone's experience with a concussion is unique, she ensures that each person goes through a full evaluation to determine the nature of the concussion and how it affects the individual.
"Once we determine what subtype of concussion someone is experiencing, then we can create an individualized treatment plan that's specific to their needs," Ritter said. "Some people might need ocular motor activities, some people might need vestibular balance therapies, and some people might need to work on their cognitive skills."
To determine the severity of a person's injury, Ritter explained that they have each patient rate the intensity of 22 different symptoms on a scale from 0 to 6. By the end of these rankings, the patient will have a specific post-concussion symptom score.
"Depending on what that score is, we determine how much that concussion has affected that person," Ritter said. "The highest possible score someone could get would be 132 if they scored 6 out of 6 on all 22 items."
Ideally, people experiencing concussion symptoms will get their score as close to 0 as possible after recovery activities. Ritter said that Concussion Navigation Services is the only clinic in all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties that offers "baseline testing," which includes a history of predisposing factors that might make someone more vulnerable to a concussion or more likely to have a delayed recovery.
"We evaluate for those vulnerabilities or modifiers, and then often we can give people some activities that they can do to minimize their risk of getting a concussion," Ritter said. "When I do baseline testing, I usually test balance, reaction time, impulse control, visual processing, speed, memory, the vestibular system, and the ocular motor system."
As part of the baseline testing, Ritter also educates people on the signs and symptoms to look out for to catch a concussion, including headaches, dizziness, nausea, and confusion. She emphasized how it's important for everyone to be aware of these symptoms because concussions are not "something to be taken lightly" and should be treated as soon as possible by someone trained in that specific care.
"It's a brain injury," she said. "Anytime the brain is injured, it deserves every chance to heal completely."
Ritter invites groups interested in receiving concussion education to reach out to her via theconcussionnavigator.com.
* Sheccid Diaz, a Santa Maria resident and member of the California Conservation Corps (CCC), is part of a large-scale effort to protect Los Angeles burn areas from hazardous runoff during winter storms. With more than 400 young adults, the CCC works to install barriers like compost socks and gravel bags to filter contaminants from rainwater. The crews work alongside state agencies to place hundreds of thousands of protective materials, under the guidance of engineers and environmental scientists. Diaz, who first joined the CCC for a job, now finds purpose in conservation work and takes pride in helping communities recover, according to the CCC. For more information about CCC's mission and opportunities to join the crews, visit ccc.ca.gov.