What we check
- Neck and upper-back range of motion and muscle guarding
- Posture and movement changes since the head injury
- INSiGHT nervous-system scan findings
- What restrictions and return-to-play or return-to-learn stage the treating physician has set
- Whether headache or dizziness patterns look mechanical, neurological, or mixed — flagged for the medical team, not decided by us
What to expect
Bring documentation of your child's concussion diagnosis, current restrictions, and whatever return-to-play or return-to-learn stage their physician has them in. We will not see a child for this concern without that medical evaluation already in place. The visit itself is a consultation, a neck and upper-back exam, and an INSiGHT scan, with pricing detailed on our what to expect page.
Book a first visitWhat We Do Not Do
The scope limits here are the most important thing on the page.
- We do not diagnose, clear, or treat concussion
- We do not decide when a child returns to school, screens, or sports — that decision belongs entirely to the physician managing the recovery, following a proper medical protocol
- We do not offer a faster path back to play; if anyone tells you a chiropractic visit can speed concussion recovery or shorten a return-to-play timeline, that claim isn’t one we’d stand behind
- Adjusting is not an acute-phase answer for a head injury, and we will not present it as one
- In the days immediately following a possible concussion, the priority is medical evaluation and rest as directed by your child’s doctor, not a chiropractic visit
Where a Supporting Role Fits
The forces that cause a concussion — a fall, a collision, a hit during play — frequently strain the neck and upper back at the same time.
- Whiplash-type mechanics and head impacts often travel together
- A stiff, guarded neck can produce headache and dizziness that layer directly on top of what the concussion itself is causing
- Sorting out how much of a symptom is neurological and how much is mechanical is not something we do alone or first
- We look at it once your child’s medical evaluation is in place, as one piece of a larger recovery picture managed by their physician
Before We See Your Child
Medical evaluation comes first, always.
- We ask that any suspected concussion be evaluated by a physician before a visit with us
- Bring us whatever restrictions or guidance that physician has given
- If your child hasn’t been evaluated yet, that comes first
- We are not a substitute for that evaluation, and we won’t proceed as if we were
What We Actually Assess
Once medical evaluation is in place, our exam is narrow and mechanical.
- Neck and upper-back range of motion
- Muscle guarding and posture
- An INSiGHT nervous-system scan to see what tension patterns show up
- If symptoms are being driven at all by neck mechanics rather than the concussion itself, addressing that mechanical piece is a reasonable, honest goal
- We will tell you plainly what we find and what we think it means — including when we don’t think there’s a mechanical contribution worth addressing
Return to Play and Return to Learn
Every decision about stepping back into school, screens, or sports stays with your child’s physician.
- Those decisions follow the physician’s return-to-play or return-to-learn protocol
- We will not weigh in on timing
- We will not suggest that anything we do changes that timeline
- If your child’s doctor has cleared certain activities and restricted others, tell us exactly what that looks like so we can stay inside those lines
Working Alongside the Medical Team
Coordination tends to work better than everyone operating separately.
- We’re glad to communicate directly with a treating physician, neurologist, or concussion specialist about what we’re finding on the mechanical side
- Bring paperwork, restrictions, or a name and number for us to reach out to
- We fold our part into the plan your child’s medical team has already built, rather than running our own alongside it
See a medical provider right away if you notice
- Worsening headache, repeated vomiting, increasing drowsiness, or a seizure at any point after a head injury — emergency room immediately, even hours or days later
- Unequal pupils, slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or confusion that is getting worse — call 911
- Loss of consciousness at the time of injury, however brief — medical evaluation before anything else, including before this visit
- Any suspected concussion that has not yet been evaluated by a physician — that evaluation comes first, not us
- New or worsening symptoms during recovery, even if your child was previously improving — contact your physician promptly
Common questions
Can a chiropractor clear my child to go back to sports?
No. That decision belongs entirely to the physician managing the concussion, following their return-to-play protocol. We do not clear concussions and will not offer an opinion that competes with your child's doctor.
Will an adjustment help my child's concussion heal faster?
We can't tell you that, and we wouldn't want to imply it. Concussion recovery follows its own course under medical management. What we can look at is whether neck mechanics are adding to headache or dizziness alongside the concussion, which is a different and much narrower question.
Do you need to see paperwork from our doctor first?
Yes. We ask for the concussion diagnosis, current restrictions, and return-to-play or return-to-learn status before this visit. We are not the entry point for a suspected concussion — a physician evaluation is.
My child has ongoing neck pain since the concussion. Is that something you address?
Possibly, once the concussion itself is being managed medically. Neck strain from the same fall or impact is a mechanical question we're equipped to look at, separate from the neurological side your child's physician is handling.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Chiropractic care does not treat or cure disease; it supports the function of the nervous system and spine. Please speak with your pediatrician or a licensed clinician about your family's specific situation, and seek immediate care for any urgent symptom.