Vestibular & oculomotor
The balance system and the eye-tracking system are the two most commonly affected. Dizziness, motion sensitivity, blurred or tiring vision, and trouble with screens or busy, visually 'loud' environments all point here.
Concussion treatment in Toronto
Multi-phase concussion rehabilitation, vestibular, cervical, oculomotor, and graded return-to-activity. Care from the first 72 hours through full return-to-sport.
Since 2009Hospital-Affiliated Spine CareWomen's HealthRunning & SportsWSIB & MVA ClaimsLGBTQ+ FriendlyDirect Billing to Insurance
What it is
A brain injury, even when the scan looks normal.
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). It's caused by a direct blow to the head or by force transmitted to the head from a hit elsewhere on the body, and it does not require a loss of consciousness. In fact, fewer than 1 in 10 concussions involve any blackout at all, which is one of the biggest reasons they get missed or brushed off as 'just getting your bell rung.'
Here's the part that surprises most people: a concussion is a functional injury, not a structural one. Standard CT and MRI scans are usually completely normal. The problem isn't visible damage you can point to on a picture, it's a temporary disruption in how brain cells communicate and how systems like balance, eye movement, and the body's automatic 'fight-or-flight' controls coordinate with one another. That's why a careful, hands-on clinical assessment tells us far more than imaging does.
- You do NOT have to lose consciousness to have a concussion
- Symptoms can take 24–72 hours to fully show up
- A normal CT or MRI does not rule out a concussion
The systems we assess
Concussion isn't one problem, it's several.
Cervical (the neck)
The same force that concusses the brain almost always jolts the neck. Headaches and dizziness driven by an irritated cervical spine are extremely common after a concussion, and they're highly treatable with hands-on care.
Autonomic & exertional
The system that regulates heart rate and blood pressure can get knocked out of sync, causing exercise intolerance, fatigue, and lightheadedness. We map your safe activity threshold and rebuild tolerance from there.
Why the scan is normal
Common symptoms, and why imaging often misses them.
Because a concussion is about brain function rather than visible brain damage, the symptoms come in clusters that look different from one person to the next. Two people who took nearly identical hits can have completely different experiences, one battling headaches and brain fog, another floored by dizziness and nausea, another struggling with sleep, mood, and concentration.
That's exactly why a CT or MRI usually comes back clean: those scans are excellent at finding bleeds, fractures, and other emergencies, but they aren't designed to detect the subtle coordination problems a concussion creates. The real diagnosis comes from a thorough history and a multi-system physical exam, testing balance, eye movement, the neck, and exertion tolerance to find which systems are actually contributing to your symptoms.
- Headache, pressure in the head, or neck pain
- Dizziness, nausea, or feeling 'off balance'
- Brain fog, trouble concentrating, or memory lapses
- Sensitivity to light, noise, or screens
- Fatigue, sleep changes, irritability, or low mood
- Symptoms that flare with mental or physical exertion
Red flags
Go to the ER for any of these, don't wait to book.
Most concussions do not need emergency imaging or surgery. But the following symptoms can signal something more serious, like bleeding in or around the brain. If any of these appear, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away, before booking with us.
- Increasing drowsiness, growing confusion, or you can't be woken normally
- A headache that keeps getting worse or becomes severe
- Repeated vomiting
- A seizure or convulsion
- Weakness, numbness, or loss of coordination in the arms or legs
- Slurred speech, or unusual, agitated behaviour
- Unequal pupils, or clear fluid draining from the nose or ears
- Severe or worsening neck pain with any of the above neurological signs
Your first visit
A thorough assessment, and a plan built around it.
Your first visit is unhurried and detailed, because no two concussions are alike. We start with a full history, how the injury happened, what symptoms you've had, what makes them better or worse, and how they're affecting your work, school, sport, and sleep. From there we run a multi-system physical exam: balance and vestibular testing, eye-movement (oculomotor) screening, a careful exam of the neck, and an exertion tolerance assessment to see how your body responds to graded activity.
Where it's helpful, optional baseline testing gives us objective numbers to track your recovery against and to guide a safe return, especially useful for athletes who want a clear, measurable benchmark before going back to contact. By the end of the visit you'll understand, in plain language, which systems are driving your symptoms and what your individualized plan looks like from here.
- Multi-system exam: balance, eye tracking, neck, and exertion tolerance
- Optional baseline testing to measure progress and guide return-to-sport
- A clear, individualized plan explained in everyday language
How we treat it
Active, multi-phase rehab, not a dark room.
Targeted system rehab
If your balance or eye-tracking systems are involved, we add specific gaze-stability and vestibular exercises. If your neck is reproducing your symptoms, hands-on care and motor-control work target it directly.
Graded aerobic exercise
Carefully dosed, sub-symptom-threshold cardio is one of the strongest evidence-based concussion treatments. We set a safe starting point from your assessment and progress it as your tolerance improves.
Staged return to activity
A step-by-step progression back to learning, work, and sport, each stage held until you're stable before advancing, so you return confidently instead of re-injuring yourself by rushing.
The bigger picture
Most people recover fully with the right plan.
The reassuring reality is that the large majority of concussions resolve within a few weeks when they're managed actively and early. The old advice, lock yourself in a dark, quiet room until everything fades, is out of date. After a short initial period of relative rest in the first day or two, gentle activity kept below your symptom threshold actually speeds recovery, and structured rehab helps most people get back to full life faster.
And if you're past the four-week mark and still dealing with headaches, fog, dizziness, exercise intolerance, or visual symptoms, that's persistent post-concussion symptoms, not a sign you're stuck. Targeted, system-specific rehab works well even months after the original injury. The neck, balance, vision, and exertion systems can all be retrained; you do not have to simply wait it out and hope.
- Relative rest for the first day or two, then graded activity, not total shutdown
- Early, active care is linked to shorter recovery and fewer lingering symptoms
- Older or 'persistent' concussions still respond well to targeted rehab
Multi-system
Concussion assessment
Baseline
Testing available
14+ yrs
Treating Toronto
Direct bill
Most insurers
Reviews
What our concussion patients say
How patients recovered from concussion and got back to sport, work, and school.
“My teenager was struggling to get back to school after a concussion. The team gave us a clear, step-by-step plan and the symptoms steadily improved. We finally felt like we knew what we were doing.”
“The dizziness and headaches after my injury were scary. The active rehab here brought them down week by week, and I was guided safely back to playing my sport. I never felt rushed.”
“After my concussion I felt lost and the symptoms just lingered. Having an actual structured rehab plan, and someone who reassured me I'd get better, made all the difference. I'm back at work full-time.”
Related care
Concussion care rarely travels alone.
Concussion management
See how our full concussion program works, from the initial multi-system assessment and optional baseline testing through multi-phase rehab and graded return-to-activity.
Concussion managementNeck pain
The neck is involved in most concussions, and cervicogenic headache and dizziness are some of the most treatable pieces of recovery. Learn how we assess and treat the cervical spine.
Neck pain treatmentSee a chiropractor
Dr. Matthew Serrick holds focused training in concussion and mild traumatic brain injury management. Meet the team and book your first downtown Toronto visit.
Toronto chiropractorKeep exploring
Treatments we use for this
What we'll typically pull from when we put a plan together.
Concussion Management
Concussion assessment, baseline testing, and multi-phase rehabilitation in downtown Toronto, vestibular, cervical, oculomotor, and a graded return to activity in one place.
Learn more
Chiropractic Care
Hands-on chiropractic care for back, neck, and joint pain, adjustments, mobilizations, soft tissue work, and rehab exercises tailored to your assessment.
Learn moreKeep exploring
Other things we treat
Often shows up alongside what brought you here.
Frequently asked questions
About concussion
For most concussions, no. A concussion is a functional injury, so CT and MRI scans are usually normal, they're used to rule out emergencies like bleeding or a fracture when red-flag symptoms are present, not to diagnose a standard concussion. The diagnosis comes from a thorough clinical assessment of your balance, eye movement, neck, and exertion tolerance.
About the clinic
From the blog
Latest from the blog
Patient-language guides on the conditions and care we see most.
Book your first visit
Tell us about your concussion and the front desk will match you with the right practitioner.
- Same-day appointments usually available
- Direct billing to most major insurers
- Prefer to call? (416) 660-9932