Following a concussion, about 15% of patients continue to have headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms for a year or longer. There are currently no specific treatments for this problem, but patients still have hope at MindSet, a team of experts offer personalized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (PrTMS®). PrTMS® may improve post-concussion syndrome by restoring brainwaves back to a normal state. To learn more about PrTMS® for concussions, call the office in San Diego, California, or schedule an appointment online.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that occurs when a blow to the head is severe enough to make the brain hit against the skull. The trauma damages brain cells and disrupts nerve communication. Patients may also develop blood vessel damage or a bruised brain.
A concussion should always be evaluated by a doctor. Even if it seems mild, it’s important to rule out brain swelling and a potential skull fracture.
Symptoms may appear right away or be delayed for a few hours or days. Concussion symptoms can also turn into a chronic problem and last a year or longer, a condition called post-concussion syndrome.
The three primary symptoms of concussion are:
In most cases, a concussion won’t knock someone out, but they may not be able to remember what happened right before the injury. People may experience additional symptoms, including:
Though not as common, some patients have insomnia, become depressed, or feel irritable.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a treatment that uses safe magnetic impulses to stimulate the electrical activity of nerves in the brain. TMS restores brainwave activity to normal levels, which in turn improves the symptoms of disorders caused by brain arrhythmias, which is disrupted nerve activity.
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) show that brainwave activity is altered after sustaining a concussion. If patients develop post-concussion syndrome, this abnormal nerve activity persists, a problem that’s effectively treated with TMS.
PrTMS® is an advanced protocol for TMS that uses the same electromagnetic field to create therapeutic magnetic pulses, while improving results by personalizing treatment. The team at MindSet has implemented several vital steps to customize TMS therapy:
The first step is to map the brain’s current nerve activity. The team at MindSet obtains an EEG using their PeakLogic ComfortScan™, which is wireless and produces results in less than five minutes. The resulting map shows areas of disrupted nerve activity and where it occurs in the brain.
To further personalize treatment, the team at MindSet asks patients to complete a questionnaire detailing their symptoms.
This advanced software analyzes the patient’s brainwave map and information from their questionnaire. The team at MindSet uses the results to customize treatment, determining the precise areas of the brain to target and the intensity of magnetic pulses required to produce results.
After patients relax in a comfortable chair, the TMS device is positioned next to their head and adjusted to ensure it reaches a precise area of the brain. Each session lasts about 30 minutes. Initial therapy lasts 6-8 weeks, with PrTMS® treatments administered on five days each week. This intensive protocol of repeated PrTMS® exposure is the key to producing long-lasting results.
Throughout treatment, patients will have additional EEGs. This allows the team at MindSet to evaluate the changes in brainwaves and to fine-tune treatment if needed.
If you suffer from post-concussion syndrome, call MindSet or schedule an appointment online.
