Concussion countermeasure

BrainTrust Canada got some star power Wednesday as Olympic gold medallist Kelsey Serwa threw her weight behind its new medical clinic.

BrainTrust Canada is a local not for profit organization that provides concussion recovery programs.

"It provides youth and children an opportunity to recover properly and to be supervised in doing so from the time of the concussion incident, all the way through to when they are cleared to return to sport and return to school," said Serwa.

Serwa has suffered many injuries of her own, including a concussion, and she feels this type of medical service will help fill the gap between sports and the medical profession. "Our brain is our most important asset. When a child or youth has a concussion, this will help provide a safe, effective way for them to return to normal life," she said.

Dr, David Rhine is BrainTrust's physician and has over 35 years of experience with concussion management.

"Concussions can result in long-term problems if not treated properly," he said.

Rhine says researchers have made great strides in understanding concussion in recent years.  

"In the past, we used to put people in a dark room and tell them not to do anything until they start to feel better, and quite the opposite would happen. They would rapidly decline and become depressed. Nowadays, the standard is to activate people early. We let them take a break for two or three days and then we start to activate them and get them involved very early in an aerobic exercise program that is monitored."

For more information, check BrainTrust Canada online.