As a mother, a pediatric ER doctor and a concussion specialist, I have seen my share of concussed individuals. Even my own child was diagnosed with 2 concussions, and we were completely in the dark on how to treat him (for the first one!) What motivated me to write this book, was the number of patients who had received misinformation about how to diagnose and treat their concussion, and how appropriate, targeted therapy could dramatically alter and improve their course. Concussions are defined as a functional brain disturbance caused by twisting or stretching of neurons upon direct or indirect impact. This functional disturbance, while not visible on a CT scan or MRI, can result in days, weeks and sometimes several months of disability. Concussed individuals can experience dizziness, persistent headaches, double vision, fatigue, short term memory loss and a host of other symptoms. While most people who experience concussions recover in 7-10 days, a significant percentage go on to experience longer recovery times. In the past, concussion treatment was limited to strict rest, screen time and activity avoidance. Recent research has shown that our past approach to concussions was not helpful and even harmful. Current studies are now telling us that concussions can be treated with an active approach. Concussions can be classified into different subtypes and depending on the subtype, concussion recovery can be accelerated with targeted therapy. Concussion - Your Game Plan to Recovery provides a detailed discussion of the most current concussion definition, diagnostic testing options and treatment plans.
About the Author: A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Paul completed her medical school and pediatric residency training at Mt. Sinai Medical School and her fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Columbia Presbyterian. She has been an assistant professor in pediatric emergency medicine at Mt. Sinai for over 10 years and is currently on faculty at the NYU Long Island School of Medicine. She has served as the pediatric emergency medicine section chair for the American College of Emergency Physicians and the council chair and has received grant funding to study pediatric concussions. She has lectured extensively throughout the tristate area on concussion prevention and management. Dr. Paul is also the founder and medical director of Advanced Concussion Solutions LLC in Connecticut and New York where she has chose to specialize in comprehensive concussion diagnosis and treatment. She lives in Westport CT with her husband and children.