#MyFocus - Cathy Simon - "No recipe for rehab"

Cathy Simon has spent much of her professional career educating herself and better understanding the world of concussions.

From webinars to refreshers to reading new research, Simon wants to stay in the know so she can be the best she can be for her patients at LifeMark.

She says with the help of mainstream media, awareness and education around concussions and symptoms has skyrocketed.

“It’s an ongoing discussion. If you look at things like the Sidney Crosby story, or the NFL and the epidemic they’re dealing with in concussions, all of those mainstream stories have definitely caused an uprise in awareness.”

“Because of that, we’ve definitely seen more people come through the door with concussions or concussion symptoms. There’s been a huge change, even within the last two years.”

Though there has been a jump in awareness over the last few years, Simon urges that communication with her patients is one of the most important things to a successful comeback.

Specifically when it comes to return-to-play timelines and success, being thorough and talking with them will help them understand just how important a successful comeback and how detrimental a failed one could be.

“If you follow the protocol and stick to the programs, the chances of getting back and more importantly, staying back, increases,” 

“At the very least, going back too soon can prolong symptoms, at the worst, you’re looking at things like long-term brain damage. They need to understand that going into the recovery.”

    Though patience is important, Simon says there’s nothing wrong with keeping yourself involved, where you can, with your team and social circles.

“We try and get them integrated into different activities. Maybe it isn't practice but it could be something that keeps them involved and around the team. That’s very important for a young athlete’s recovery,”

“On top of that, ensuring that they are keeping fit where they can and maintaining their fitness is very important in the recovery stages.”

Those same athletes will also need the support from their therapists, their family, friends, coaches & team in order to make a successful recovery, Simon said.

“Supporting them and staying positive is important. You want to reiterate that if they do everything right, they will get back to playing. Give them hope that they’ll be back but also that they need to buy into the programs and protocols to get there.”

With that said, athletes need to understand that every recovery will look different and will involve different hurdles so they need to be ready to face anything from ranging timelines to different anxieties and more.

“Everybody is different. There are different challenges with different age groups. You have to make it clear to the athlete that there’s simply no recipe for rehab.”