How Physical Therapy Clinics Can Spot a Missed Concussion

Physical therapists see accident patients often enough to notice patterns that point to a missed concussion.

Clues during sessions

Dizziness with head turns, symptoms that rise with exertion, trouble following multi-step instructions, and light sensitivity in the gym.

Screening

Add a short symptom inventory at the evaluation and again at re-evaluation.

Refer

Braintree tests at your clinic, and you keep the patient's rehabilitation care.

Braintree Health Partners provides diagnostics only. We diagnose. You treat.

Become a provider partner today. Refer a patient or book a 15-minute briefing. 813-709-3771.

Physical therapists see what others miss

Physical therapists spend more one-on-one time with accident patients than almost any other provider, often several sessions a week for a long stretch. That time gives PTs a unique view of how a patient is really functioning. A patient who seemed fine at intake may lose track of a home exercise sequence, get dizzy during position changes, struggle with visual tracking drills, or tire mentally long before they tire physically. These observations are valuable clues.

Signs to watch for during sessions

Watch for trouble following multi-step instructions, forgetting exercises from one session to the next, dizziness or nausea with head turns or bending, visual discomfort under clinic lighting, poor balance out of proportion to the orthopedic injury, irritability, and reports of headaches that come on with exertion or screen use. Note these consistently in your documentation. A short concussion symptom checklist at re-evaluations makes this easier.

Separating the neck from the brain

Many PT patients after a crash have cervical injuries, and neck problems can cause headache and dizziness. When symptoms persist despite good progress on the neck, or include clear cognitive or visual complaints, it's reasonable to consider whether a concussion is also involved. Standardized functional testing helps sort that out instead of leaving it to guesswork.

Referring without leaving your scope

Referring for testing doesn't mean diagnosing a concussion yourself. You're documenting what you see and connecting the patient with standardized evaluation. Depending on the practice's arrangements, the referral may go through the patient's physician or directly from your clinic. Braintree's team can explain how referrals from PT practices work.

How the report supports your plan of care

Physician-reviewed findings can support adjustments to your plan, such as adding or modifying vestibular or oculomotor work if that's within your scope, pacing activity, or coordinating with other specialists. You continue treating. Braintree provides diagnostics and helps coordinate further evaluations when indicated.

Testing in your clinic

Our technician sets up in a quiet room on a scheduled day and sees your referred patients without disrupting your schedule. Reports come back to the referring provider.

Emergencies

Any patient with a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizure, sudden weakness, slurred speech, or confusion needs emergency care immediately. Call 911.

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