After multiple trips to the Emergency Department and weeks of exacerbating post-concussive symptoms after a fall, Alexei (pictured right) was feeling overwhelmed by her worsening condition.
“Concussion is a strange thing because it’s invisible. It was like having an out-of-body experience. In time, the bruising on my face went away and although I looked normal, I couldn’t function normally,” she said.
“I was feeling progressively worse, experiencing vertigo, dizziness, headaches, fatigue and balance issues. The symptoms were affecting every part of my life.”
Four weeks on, Alexei found her silver lining after being referred to PA Hospital’s Concussion Clinic, Brisbane’s first public concussion service for people with symptoms persisting four weeks after injury, housed at the hospital’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (BIRS).
Before long, Alexei was connected with a number of specialists, including a rehabilitation medicine physician, an occupational therapist, a vestibular physiotherapist, and a neuropsychologist. Alexei says the clinic’s holistic approach to treatment made the world of difference in her recovery.
“Having a multidisciplinary team reassured me that there was collaboration among the specialists, and that they had a holistic view of what was happening to me. When you’re self-managing your care on the outside, you don't know if there's communication among the different specialists and that can be overwhelming,” she said.
“Emotionally, having that reassurance that my experience was normal and that my journey was expected made a big difference. I've got a big network outside and a lot of support, but there's a lack of understanding, so talking to people who understood and could provide both the medical knowledge and the psychological support made all the difference.”
Service Neuropsychologist Emily Gibson (pictured left) agrees that the strength of the clinic rests in its targeted, holistic approach, which improves both short and long-term outcomes for patients.
“Receiving the right education and intervention in those first few weeks and months after concussion can make a significant difference for concussion patients. The sooner we get the patient in, the better their outcomes are,” she said.
“Patients waiting months to be seen can often experience issues with return to work, relationship breakdown and psychological distress, as well as an increase in physical and emotional concerns, which may have been preventable with earlier input.”
After a successful six-month pilot, which was funded by the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury (BaSCI) Project and saw 69 patients receive treatment, the Concussion Clinic has secured PA Hospital funding to June 2024. Emily says the extended funding will go a long way in enabling the BIRS team to grow the service and reach more people like Alexei.
“We’re continually taking on new patients each week. There are similar services commenced via BaSCI in Townsville and the Sunshine Coast, but this is the first service in Brisbane, so to be able to continue this really valuable work in the Brisbane region is a big win for us. Our next goal is to secure permanent funding for the Concussion Clinic.”
Patients with persisting concerns beyond four weeks post-concussion can be referred to the Concussion Clinic via the ED, community GPs and private specialists.
For more information about the Concussion Clinic and referral criteria visit the BIRS referral page.