Concussions are growing concern across various age groups, particularily in sports like football, hockey and soccer as well as among older individuals with balance issues.
Common symtoms include memory problems, headaches, nausea, balance, decreased attention and reduced focus.
Andrew decribes a progressive exercise approach for concussion recovery, including vestibular exercises, ocular exercises, aerobic exercises, and breathing exercises. This strategy aims to achieve full improvement with clients recovering from a concussion
Key information about Traumatic Braiin Injuries (TBI's), oftern referred to as head injuries. TBI's can lead to range of symptoms, including memory issues, headaches, balance problems, attention, focus difficulties, processing challenges, brain fog, fatigue, and motor skill impairments
Working with clients who have TBI's can be challenging due to involvement of multiple brain areas and the significant impact of fatigue.
The recommended approach for supporting these clients involves identifying exercises that are effective for specific brain areas, consistently practiciing these exercises, gradually increasing repetitions. This helps build tolerance for exercises targeting affected areas
Key considerations for managing balance disorders, which may arise independently or from conditions like vertigo, concussions, strokes or Parkinson's disease.
It emphasizes assessing how the brain perceives spatial orientation through vestibular, visual and proprioceptive systems.
Recommended tools include software for Evaluator BPPV, Evaluator HINTS, Evaluator Pursuit, Saccade and Convergence to evaluate these systems. Note, that early-stage brain degeneration, patients may perceive themselves as falling backward leading to dominant backward head movements, neck tightness, and downward eye movements. Our Virtual Reality Vestibular Program called Activator is suggested to target specific ear canals for treatment
Key information about movement disorders and their management through specific exercses. Movement disorders, caused by dysfunction by the basal ganglia , results in voluntary and involuntary movements, which can be slow or fast.
Common disorders include Dystonia, Ataxia, Tremor, Tourette's Syndrome and Restleg Syndrome. The basal ganglia has 2 pathways, one that influences excitation while the other that influences relaxation. Some movement disorders disrupt the relaxing pathway which causes overactivity in the excitatory pathway
To address movement disorders, Vestibular Exercises, can be effective in calming down the excitatory pathway and strengthen the relaxing pathway in the basal ganglia. These exercises are customized for each individual based on their specfic needs. Additionally, exercises targeting the frontal lobe, particularly the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, can improve short-term memory, focus and attention. One such exercise is the anti-saccade, which involves moving the eyes to the opposite target, facilitated through eye movement exercises in our Brain Exercise Software, The Accomplished Brain Software
Memory problems are associated with neurodegenerative conditions like concussions and traumatic brain injuries which can affect short-term memory areas of the brain, the frontal and parietal lobe as well as the hippocampus, which also affect is a key component of memory.
Some types of exercises that can improve memory:
Parkinson's affects dopamine producing nerve cells in the brain, leading to synptoms like muscle rigidity, tremors, changes in speech and gait.
Specific exercises like Vestbular Exercises and Eye Movement Exercises may help alleviate symptoms and improve function. These exercises can be performed using The Accomplished Brain Software with Activator, our virutal reality vestibular program, and Optimizer and Optimizer VR our eye movement programs
Stroke overiew: A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, leading to brain cell death due to lack of oxygen and nutrients.
Types of Strokes:
Recommended Exercises:
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Auto Immune conditions are conditions when the immune system mistakenly thinks a tissue or tissues in the body is foreign and the immune system starts to attack its own tissue.
Some of the common Auto Immune conditions are Hashimoto’s Thyroid, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease.
3 Key areas to focus on:
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), described as a condition characterized by hyperacitivity, impulsitivity, and difficulty maintaining attention. Boys are more commonly affected than girls. Some of the sypmtoms are easily distracted, difficulty completing tasks, inability to sit still, excessive talking and interrupting others. Children with ADHD can benefit from specific physical activities, including multiplanar movements, running for 45 minutes to an hour, isometric limb exercises and moving the eyes opposite of the target.
Learning disabilities which impact both children and adults, causing difficulties in reading, writing, math, spelling, reasoning, recalling and organizing. Common learning disabilities are dyslexia, dysgraphia, auditory processing issues, and dyscalculia. The Accomplished Brain Software, with Activator, virtual reality vestibular program, Equalizer, sound program, Reactor Auditory Processing can help, as well as Modulator, specificially designed to help with dyslexia.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia (POTS) is a syndrome characterized by a heart rate increase of 30+ beats per minute when going from lying down to standing within 10 minutes.
The Accomplished Brain Software, which includes Regulator a breathing program, Activator, virtual reality vestibular program and Equalizer and Reactor Auditory Processing, sound programs have shone to be very beneficial with this condition
ALS is a non-curable motor neuron disease. ALS affects neurons in the brain and in the spinal cord. Symptoms include muscle weakness, decreased swallowing, decreased speech, decreased balance and abnormal walking.
The Accomplished Brain Software, cannot cure ALS. However, the software program can help clients to slow their progression.