Whether you suffered a slip or fall, an accident or injury, or simple cannot remember what happened or the last time you felt yourself, a single event or numerous traumas can disrupt the normal alignment of your spine, make it difficult to move, and change the way you live.

Whiplash or Concussion?

The mechanism of injury whether direct or indirect impact to your head or to your body can be a great enough force to impact your spine. Quite often people that sustain a recreational injury suffer from concussion like symptoms and quite often people involved in motor vehicle accidents suffer from whiplash associated disorders. Research studies demonstrates whether the impact to your head or body, the top symptoms of a concussion or whiplash are similar. Is it possible to differentiate or are they the same?

Concussion Information - Signs and Symptoms of Concussion - The 4 Domains (Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Sleep)

Physical - headache, nausea, vomiting, balance issues, visual problems, fatigue, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise, dazed, not feeling right

Cognitive - feeling foggy, feeling slowed down, difficulty concentrating, difficulty remembering, difficulty answering questions, repeats questions, confused, forgetful

Emotional - irritable, sadness, angry, nervousness, easily upset, more emotional

Sleep - drowsiness, sleeping more than usual, sleeping less than usual, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep

Whiplash Assessment & Concussion Assessment

Upon examination of your upper cervical spine (upper neck), which are the top two vertebrae in your spine, they will determine if you sustained an Atlas Subluxation. These occur when the Atlas, or the vertebra the head rests upon, is moved out of normal position, and hinders the brain’s ability to properly communicate with the body. If this type of misalignment has occurred in your upper neck, concussion symptoms can be present and linger for days, weeks, months or even years.

Dr. Ken Abreu designed and implemented a program that is new to Calgary and new to Canada. The Sport Concussion Management program is a unique approach to help patients, athletes and motor vehicle accident patients with the care of concussions. The program is the best baseline, assessment and care program for concussions. He can assess your symptoms, your neuromotor and neurocognitive function. This program was recently endorsed for baseline and incident testing of hockey players by Hockey Calgary.

NUCCA Chiropractic Care

Not every blow to the head will result in a concussion, and not every concussion leads to long-term effects. Whether you experience a direct or indirect blow to the head, you may experience symptoms consistent with concussion like symptoms. You only need to experience one symptom to have a concussion and you do not need experience a loss of consciousness either. Your symptoms may last longer than a few minutes, it is important to seek the care of a health care professional, a NUCCA Chiropractor, to evaluate for a concussion.