Morris Hospital offers concussion management program

Dr. Isaac Mezo, a neurologist with Morris Hospital Neurology Specialists, believes concussions must be taken seriously.

That’s why Mezo helped start Morris Hospital’s concussion management program.

Morris Hospital’s concussion management program uses “a multidisciplinary approach with concussion management specialists who work together to help concussion patients safely recover from their injury,” according to the Morris Hospital website.

A concussion is a brain injury that happens acutely and is typically diagnosed based on symptoms, not by CT scan, Mezo said.

“A CT scan is just to rule out something serious,” Mezo said. “But a brain injury is based on symptoms.”

Concussion symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurry or double vision and brain fog, Mezo said. Symptoms start immediately or within a few hours and persist for a couple of days to a couple of weeks, Mezo said.

“But they are self-limiting,” Mezo said. “Concussion symptoms go away on their own.”

With post-concussion syndrome, concussion symptoms last a longer time than acute concussion symptoms, typically no longer than six months, Mezo said. Post-concussion syndrome symptoms often are milder than symptoms in the acute phase, Mezo said.

“But they will be persistent,” Mezo said. “They will interrupt your quality of life.”

A traumatic brain injury is a concussion that results in lifelong, lasting symptoms that may result in a disability, Mezo said. An MRI may or may not show the injury, he said.

The Morris Hospital concussion management program sees patients with all of these types of concussions.

“We do need a referral from either a primary care doctor or from the [emergency room],” Mezo said. “Every ER doctor can refer them. We get referrals all the time that come from the emergency room.”

Referrals help expedite patients who need immediate assessment, Mezo said.

Some symptoms in patients with an acute concussion or post-concussion syndrome can be managed with medication, physical therapy or a combination of both, Mezo said. Both medication and physical therapy are tailored to patients and their symptoms, Mezo said.

But even when acute concussions are expected to improve on their own, the concussion management program can help with education and symptom control, Mezo said.

How concussions are managed

For instance, vestibular exercise and cervicogenic exercises can help with tension headaches and vestibular headaches. Patients can learn different maneuvers to improve dizziness and relieve nausea, especially when they need to bend down, Mezo said.

“We tell them some things that they can do on their own, such as minimizing screen time,” Mezo said. “We tell them when they should not do any work or sports and when they should. It’s mostly education, letting them know their symptoms will get better. And we look for red flags, and if this patient should have brain imaging.”

We do need a referral from either a primary care doctor or from the ER. Every ER doctor can refer them. We get referrals all the time that come from the emergency room.”

—  Dr. Isaac Mezo, neurologist with Morris Hospital Neurology Specialists

Mezo said patients learn how much rest they need and how much they should be active “without overdoing it.”

Patients with an acute concussion often stay in the program until they are back to their daily lives: work, school, driving and/or sports programs, Mezo said.

Mezo wants people to know that the Morris Hospital concussion management program is not limited to Morris residents, Grundy County residents or even to adults, since the program has pediatric providers, too.

“Anyone is welcome to come to our program,” Mezo said.

For more information on Morris Hospital’s concussion management program, call 815-942-4506 or visit morrishospital.org.