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Neck Treatment
The same force that causes a concussion loads the neck. Neck-driven headaches are often mistaken for concussion symptoms, and they respond well to hands-on therapy and targeted strengthening.
Youth Sports
Sports Concussion Rehabilitation for Central NY Athletes
Getting Started
Concussion Recovery Guided by Physical Therapists
Your athlete took a hit two weeks ago. The headaches haven’t stopped, screens make it worse, and school is getting hard. Rest was supposed to fix it, and it hasn’t.
This is more common than most families are told. When symptoms last beyond the first week or two, active rehabilitation generally works better than more rest. Waiting it out is often the thing keeping it going.
We check the systems that most often keep symptoms going, the neck, balance, the eyes and exercise tolerance, and treat what we find alongside the physician managing your athlete’s care.
Learn More
How We Treat Sports Concussions
Our Approach
“Rest until it passes”
is outdated.
is outdated.
The guidance on concussion has changed a lot. Extended rest in a dark room, once standard, is now understood to prolong recovery for many people. Current consensus supports a return to light activity within days, and structured rehabilitation when symptoms persist.
Active rehab helps because lingering symptoms usually have a driver: an irritated neck, a balance system that hasn’t recalibrated, eyes that won’t team properly, or an exercise tolerance that dropped and never came back. Each of those is treatable. None of them gets better faster by waiting.
Balance
Dizziness, wobbliness, and feeling off when things move around you
Neck
Neck injury from the same hit, often driving the headaches
Exertion
Finding where symptoms start with exercise, then raising that ceiling
For parents
Rest didn’t work. Here’s what does.
You did what you were told. When symptoms outlast the rest period, the next step is finding out what is actually driving them. That is a physical assessment, and it is what we do.
- We coordinate with your physician, athletic trainer and school
- We put accommodations in writing for teachers and the school nurse
- Return to learn comes before return to play, and we manage both
Hey, athlete
It’s not just in your head. Really.
Headaches, dizzy spells, screens that make everything worse, homework that takes twice as long. Those are real, they have real causes, and most of them we can work on. You are not making it up and you are not stuck like this.
- We start with easy stuff and build up, no sudden jumps
- You’ll get exercises for your eyes and your balance that actually feel like drills
- We’ll tell you honestly when it’s time to get back out there
Symptoms We Address
What keeps athletes
sidelined.
sidelined.
If any of these have lasted beyond the first couple of weeks, they are worth evaluating rather than waiting out.
Persistent headaches
Dizziness & imbalance
Neck pain & stiffness
Screen & light sensitivity
Difficulty reading
Visual motion sensitivity
Exercise intolerance
Brain fog & concentration
Trouble in the classroom
Sleep disruption
Symptoms with exertion
Slowed reaction time
How We Treat
Treat the driver
of the symptoms.
of the symptoms.
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Balance Retraining
Graded exercises that retrain balance and the reflex that keeps your vision steady when your head moves, reducing dizziness and sensitivity to motion.
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Eye & Vision Work
Convergence, tracking and quick-look retraining for athletes struggling with reading, screens and classroom work.
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Graded Exertion
We find where symptoms begin under controlled aerobic work, then raise that ceiling step by step, using the same framework behind return-to-play stages.
Why Choose Us
A Safe, Step-by-Step Return to Play
Your First Visit
Here’s how
it goes.
it goes.
Calm room, no bright lights, no rush. This is what the first visit looks like.
01
We listen
What happened, what’s still bothering you, what makes it worse, how school is going. Parents and athlete both get to talk.
02
We check
Neck, balance, eye movements and a short, careful exercise test to find where symptoms start. We stop the moment you say so.
03
We plan
Which systems are driving symptoms, what we’ll work on first, and what we’ll write to school and your doctor.
School & Sport
Return to learn comes
before return to play.
before return to play.
An athlete who can’t sit through a class period isn’t ready for a practice. We help families manage both tracks, and we put it in writing for the people who need it.
Academic Accommodations
We help you communicate what your athlete needs, including screen breaks, extended time and reduced load, to teachers and school nursing staff.
Graded Return to Play
A stepwise progression through the return-to-play stages, with symptom monitoring at each level rather than a jump straight back into contact.
Coordinated Care
We communicate with your physician, athletic trainer and school so everyone is working from the same plan and the same information.
Why AR Physical Therapy
Persistent symptoms
need active care.
need active care.
Most families are told to rest and wait. When that hasn’t worked, the next step is a proper assessment of what’s actually driving the symptoms.
- Assessment across the neck, balance, vision and exertion systems
- Graded aerobic progression in place of open-ended rest
- Written communication with your physician, school and athletic trainer
- New York State return-to-play requirements built into the plan.
LightForceClass IV laser
DorsaVi3D motion capture
KeiserPneumatic resistance
KinventForce plate analysis
Questions
Common questions.
Do we need a doctor first?
Yes. Concussion is a medical diagnosis. If your athlete has not been evaluated by a physician, start there; we rehabilitate alongside their care.
Will exercise make the concussion worse?
Carefully graded exercise, below the level that provokes symptoms, is now part of standard concussion care. We find that level and stay under it.
Can my athlete go to school?
Usually yes, with accommodations. We help you put those in writing so teachers and the school nurse know what to expect.
When can they play again?
When symptoms have resolved, exertion testing is clear and the physician signs off. We stage the return so it’s stepwise rather than sudden.
Get Started
Still not
back to normal?
back to normal?
If symptoms have outlasted the rest period, an evaluation will tell you what’s driving them and what to do about it.