MULTIMODAL NEUROLOGICAL APPROACH TO A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE WITH ANXIETY AND POST-CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event MULTIMODAL NEUROLOGICAL APPROACH TO A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE WITH ANXIETY AND POST-CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME Matthew M. Antonucci1, 2, Brian J. Sass1, 2* and Chris M. Sass1, 2 1 Plasticity Brain Centers, United States 2 Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, United States BACKGROUND: A 24 year old professional hockey player presented with anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and balance issues. He had sustained two previous head injuries while playing hockey. EXAMINATION: The patient presented with a pathological left ocular tilt reaction. The patient’s seated heart rate was 55 beats per minute (BPM) and increased to 94 BPM after standing. The patient had a 4:1 V:A ratio on the right side, as well as red desaturation on the right side that improved after light stimulation. During balance testing, on a perturbed surface with his head turned to the left, the patient had a 45% stability score and fell in 7 seconds. Upward vertical pursuit following was saccadic during the entire stimulation at all speeds. RESULTS: The patient was treated over a four day span that included gaze stability exercises, eye movement therapy, chair rotations, and the interactive metronome. The patient had a 3:2 V:A ratio after treatment and did not have red desaturation. His stability score on foam with his head turned to the left improved to 75.7%. Vertical upward pursuit movements were vastly improved with no saccadic intrusions at .1 Hertz (Hz) and .2 Hz. His subjective anxiety decreased from 3/6 to 1/6. CONCLUSION: The rapid improvement of balance and neurological function indicate that brain-based treatment can be effective in the management of post-concussive symptoms including balance issues and anxiety. These results promote the need for further research. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Dr. Frederick Carrick and the Carrick Institute of Graduate Studies for the training and clinical neuroscience. The authors would like to also thank Dr. Marc Ellis for the temporary utilization of his facilities for which this patient was seen and treated. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Kelsey Brenner, Dr. Stuart Rutledge, Dr. Lon Kalapp, Dr. Eduardo Fontana, Dr. Ben Berendt for their assistance in patient treatment. Keywords: Traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion, Vestibular rehabilitation therapy, posturography, Brain Injury, neurological rehabilitation Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration, Orlando, Florida, United States, 10 Dec - 14 Dec, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Case Reports for Poster Presentation Citation: Antonucci MM, Sass BJ and Sass CM (2015). MULTIMODAL NEUROLOGICAL APPROACH TO A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE WITH ANXIETY AND POST-CONCUSSIVE SYNDROME. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2015.58.00075 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 10 Sep 2015; Published Online: 02 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Brian J Sass, Plasticity Brain Centers, Orlando, United States, sassbria@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Matthew M Antonucci Brian J Sass Chris M Sass Google Matthew M Antonucci Brian J Sass Chris M Sass Google Scholar Matthew M Antonucci Brian J Sass Chris M Sass PubMed Matthew M Antonucci Brian J Sass Chris M Sass Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.