Post-Concussion Syndrome Case Study: 17 Year Old Male Athlete

Original Editor - Brianna Tam Top Contributors - Jordan Murchie, Brianna Tam, Lexy Mahon, Aurora MacKenzie, Rucha Gadgil, Kim Jackson, Nupur Smit Shah, Carina Therese Magtibay, Vidya Acharya and Kirenga Bamurange Liliane

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Client Characteristics

A 17-year old male suffered a traumatic brain injury during a hockey game when he collided with a player from the other team.  The impact of the collision resulted in a direct blow to the front of his head and he immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ice.  The loss of consciousness was brief and only lasted about 2 minutes.  Once he regained consciousness, he reported feeling dizziness and confusion.  He was taken by ambulance to the emergency department where he was assessed and diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury (a.k.a concussion). The next day, he felt even more dizzy and also reported feeling very nauseous and having an intense headache.

Over the next few months he experienced relapses in his recovery.  He reports losing his balance quite often and having constant headaches.  He has also been experiencing depression and troubles concentrating.  His mother has noted that he has become quite irritable and will often lash out on his family for no reason.  It has now been 3 months since his injury and the onset of his concussion symptoms.  He was reassessed by his family doctor and diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome (PCS).  He was referred to physiotherapy to improve his concussion symptoms and help him return to his previous function.