12/03/2025
We used to believe this myth, and by “we” I mean most of healthcare, and therefore most of the general public.
Textbooks years ago, and honestly many sources still, say that most individuals with concussion/mild TBI will recover within 21 to 28 days. Because of these references, many healthcare providers, including those completing IME reports believe that patients should be back to normal within a month of their injury and have no long-term consequences.
If you ask most patients that have been through an emergency room or primary care office with a concussion, they have been told to rest and they will get better in time. Some MAY be told that if their symptoms persist beyond several months that they should seek medical advice, but why would we want an individual to wait that long? Why would any of us want to wait that long to start getting care?
The latest reports indicate that up to 50% of concussed individuals will continue to have symptoms up to a year after their injury and approximately a third will continue to have symptoms well beyond a year. Time alone does not often allow for recovery. Interventions are required to speed up the process and offer a more complete recovery.
Once symptoms have gone on for several months they become chronic, at which time they become more difficult to manage. There’s plenty of research to indicate that the earlier you seek treatment, the better and faster your recovery.
Rest and time alone are not enough. We need to include standard treatments like PT, OT, and speech therapies. We also need to include, which should be standard treatment, things like Neuro-optometry, photobiomodulation, neurofeedback, neurological chiropractic care, hyperbaric and EWOT, acupuncture, and mental health care. All of these modalities play a role in appropriate TBI recovery.
