October fills Surrey arenas, school gyms and wet sidewalks at once. Head knocks rise with them. Most people call the result a concussion, then wait for it to fade.
Waiting is rarely the quickest way back. Current Canadian practice asks for a short rest, then guided movement. This guide covers what concussion physiotherapy does, how long recovery takes, and when to get urgent care.
The short answer
- A concussion is a brain injury caused by a jolt to the head or body.
- HealthLink BC advises a maximum of two days of rest, then a gradual return to normal activity.
- Physiotherapy treats the neck, the balance system, eye movement and exercise tolerance.
- Most Canadian concussions come from falls, not from sport.
- Students go back to school before they go back to their sport.
- A worsening headache, repeated vomiting or rising confusion means emergency care now.
What a concussion actually is
HealthLink BC describes a concussion as a type of traumatic brain injury. A blow, a fall or another jolt shakes the brain inside the skull.
You need not black out. You need not even hit your head. A hard body check or a rear-end crash can jar the brain enough.
Symptoms fall into four groups. Thinking feels slow and foggy. The body produces headache, nausea, dizziness and light sensitivity.
Mood shifts toward irritability or anxiety. Sleep changes in either direction.
Most concussions in Canada do not happen in sport
Statistics Canada asked about this in the 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey. Just over 573,000 Canadians aged 12 and older reported a concussion in the previous year. That is about 2 per cent of the population.
Sport dominates the youth numbers, not the adult ones. The table shows where those injuries happened.
| Where the concussion happened | Share of Canadians who reported one |
|---|---|
| Sport or physical activity (all ages) | 24% |
| Sport or physical activity (youth aged 12 to 17) | 63% |
| A slip or stumble while walking | 24% |
| Chores around the home | 16% |
| A motor vehicle crash | Just over 10% |
| On the job | 8% |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2022.
That pattern matters here. Rain arrives, leaves come down, and stairs get slick. A grandparent on a wet driveway is as likely a case as a bantam winger.
The survey also found that 63 per cent saw a practitioner within 48 hours. The rest waited, or never went.
Rest for two days, then start moving
The old advice was a dark room until symptoms cleared. That has changed.
HealthLink BC now advises a short rest of no more than two days. A health professional then supervises a gradual return to regular activity.
Push gently, and back off when symptoms flare. Here is how that usually runs.
What concussion physiotherapy involves
A concussion rarely causes one problem. It causes several, and each needs different treatment.
The neck
The same force that jars the brain strains the neck. Neck-driven headache and dizziness often outlast everything else. Manual therapy and graded neck exercise target that directly.
Balance and the vestibular system
Dizziness, unsteadiness and a swimming feeling in busy places point to the balance system. Vestibular rehabilitation retrains it with head and eye drills.
Eye movement
Reading, screens and scanning a rink all tax eye coordination. Therapists test and train those movements when screens trigger symptoms.
Exercise tolerance
Many people stall because effort brings symptoms back. A physiotherapist finds that threshold, then raises it weekly.
| What you notice | What a physiotherapist works on | Where it fits at Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Headache at the base of the skull | Neck joints, muscles and posture | Physiotherapy |
| Dizziness or a spinning room | Balance retraining and gaze stability | Vestibular therapy |
| Eye strain when reading or on screens | Eye movement and focusing drills | Vestibular therapy |
| Symptoms flare with any exertion | Graded aerobic loading to a set threshold | Active rehabilitation |
| Lost fitness and confidence in sport | Strength, agility and return-to-play work | Sports rehab |
| Slow progress back to work or training | Programmed exercise and monitoring | Kinesiology |
Returning to sport: school first, then the ice
British Columbia has its own guidance. The Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) comes from the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit at BC Children’s Hospital.
CATT is clear that school comes first. An athlete should be back at school or work before returning fully to sport. That focus has been shown to speed the return.
The stages then run in order, and each has a gate.
That last line matters for Surrey parents. A 13-year-old does not follow an adult timeline. Rushing a tournament costs more than it gains.
Go to emergency, not to a clinic
Physiotherapy is for recovery, not the first hours after a serious head injury. Call 9-1-1 or go to emergency if you see any of these.
- A headache that keeps getting worse
- Repeated vomiting
- Rising confusion, or the person is hard to wake
- A seizure, or weakness or numbness in an arm or leg
- Slurred speech, or unequal pupils
- Any older adult with a worsening headache or increasing confusion
HealthLink BC notes the brain is more sensitive to damage after a concussion. Avoiding a second knock is part of the treatment.
If the concussion came from a crash or a work injury
Two BC systems cover this, and both matter for cost.
WorkSafeBC runs a contracted concussion and vestibular physiotherapy service. Workers with an accepted claim get assessment and treatment from a qualified physiotherapist. The stated goal is a safe and durable return to work.
After a crash, ICBC funds a set number of treatments with no referral. Our guide to ICBC physiotherapy in BC explains the entitlement. Our WorkSafeBC physiotherapy page covers work claims.
Concussion physiotherapy at our Surrey clinics
Synergy Rehabilitation has eleven clinics in Surrey and nineteen across the Lower Mainland. In British Columbia you do not need a referral to see a physiotherapist.
Our Fleetwood clinic sits at #103 8585 160 Street, in Surrey’s school and arena corridor. Call (604) 503-4799, or use any location below.
A first visit takes about an hour. The physiotherapist screens the neck, balance, eye movement and exertion tolerance. The plan then targets whatever provokes your symptoms.
Frequently asked questions
How long do concussion symptoms last?
HealthLink BC says some people recover in hours and others take weeks. Symptoms can last hours, days, weeks or months. Slow progress is a reason to get assessed, not to wait.
Can you sleep with a concussion?
Yes. Sleep is part of recovery, and changed sleep is a normal symptom. The old rule about keeping someone awake does not apply here.
If you cannot rouse the person, treat that as an emergency.
Can you get a concussion without hitting your head?
Yes. A concussion happens when the brain is jarred inside the skull. A body check, a backward fall or a rear-end crash can do that with no direct blow.
When can my child go back to hockey?
School comes first. CATT notes the return-to-sport stages take 7 to 10 days for adults, and longer for youth. Full-contact practice needs medical clearance.
Do I need a referral for concussion physiotherapy in Surrey?
No. You can book a physiotherapist directly in British Columbia. Some extended health plans still ask for one, so check your policy.
Is physiotherapy useful weeks after the injury?
Often, yes. Lingering neck pain, dizziness and exercise intolerance still respond to targeted treatment. Our post on vestibular rehabilitation therapy covers dizziness in more detail.
Find a Synergy Rehabilitation clinic near you
All nineteen locations offer physiotherapy. Call the nearest clinic to ask about concussion and vestibular assessment.
| Clinic | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Nordel (Surrey) | #116 12565 88 Avenue, Surrey, BC V3W 3J7 | (604) 503-1688 |
| Fleetwood (Surrey) | #103 8585 160 Street, Surrey, BC V4N 1G4 | (604) 503-4799 |
| King George (Surrey) | #101 8056 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3W 5B5 | (604) 503-9033 |
| Cedar Hills (Surrey) | 12852 96 Avenue #120, Surrey, BC V3V 6A8 | (604) 498-0877 |
| Clayton Heights (Surrey) | 19161 Fraser Hwy #105B, Surrey, BC V3S 8E7 | (604) 547-2860 |
| Clayton Corners (Surrey) | 18811 72 Ave #110, Surrey, BC V4N 6W7 | (604) 416-0580 |
| Sullivan (Surrey) | 15325 56 Avenue #106, Surrey, BC V3S 0X9 | (604) 566-8773 |
| Cloverdale (Surrey) | 5645 177b St Unit 102, Surrey, BC V3S 4H9 | (604) 579-1367 |
| Newton 72nd Ave (Surrey) | 14468 72 Ave #101, Surrey, BC V3S 2E7 | (604) 547-3761 |
| Central City (Surrey) | 13655 Fraser Hwy #120, Surrey, BC V3T 2V6 | (604) 954-1475 |
| Strawberry Hill (Surrey) | 12422 72 Ave Unit 206, Surrey, BC V3W 2M5 | (604) 547-0670 |
| South Surrey | 2388 156 St Unit 106, Surrey, BC V4A 4V4 | (604) 385-5855 |
| Delta | 10757 Delsom Crescent Unit 103, Delta, BC V4C 0A5 | (604) 516-8505 |
| New Westminster | 301 East Columbia Street #405, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W5 | (604) 553-3303 |
| Burnaby | 4695 Canada Way Unit #201, Burnaby, BC V5G 1K8 | (604) 558-8873 |
| Richmond | 11688 Steveston Hwy #8060, Richmond, BC V7A 1N6 | (604) 284-5113 |
| Vancouver (Point Grey) | 3609 W 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6R 3C3 | (604) 416-2600 |
| Yorkson Village (Langley) | 8045 204 St Unit A130, Langley Twp, BC V2Y 5K1 | (604) 371-1988 |
| Abbotsford | 3720 Townline Rd #100, Abbotsford, BC V2T 5W8 | (604) 776-5700 |
Still not right weeks after the hit?
Book a concussion assessment at a Synergy clinic in Surrey or anywhere in the Lower Mainland.
This article is general information, not medical advice. It does not replace an assessment by a qualified health professional. If you think you have a concussion, see a clinician.
For a suspected serious head injury, call 9-1-1.
