How does float therapy help traumatic brain injury (TBI)?
/Traumatic Brain Injury anyone?
Time does not always heal as anticipated and it is often the case where doctors are at a loss for recommendations to manage ongoing symptoms. Have you considered float therapy by itself or in tandem with other medical options? You should. Read on.
Brain research and brain mapping technology has far outpaced treatment options for those with mild traumatic brain injury (“mild TBI”) and severe traumatic brain injuries (“TBI”). Because the symptoms and severity of brain injury vary with each trauma and each individual, treatment options are dependent upon the timely and detailed identification of a TBI. Considering the chameleon-like nature of brain injury, an individual may not be able to adequately recognize or communicate both mind and body dysfunction due to altered brain function over the short and long term. Head trauma and pain can be a good disguise and diversion from deeper brain issues that may not surface until a physical or emotional pain or problem leads to deeper investigation.
Minor skull injuries are often dismissed or under reported by both patient and medical health care provider, as seen in a recent study in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, Vol 6, March 2017. Studying the brain under states of neurological dysfunction can offer an opportunity to gain insight into ways to impact the brain both during times of brain injury and times of the various stages of physical and emotional health during a lifetime. Despite a growing awareness and concern for those with mild TBI and TBI, there are individuals who are cleared medically but then are left to figure out their own self-care with no definitive long-term recovery plan or regular checkups for a trauma requiring such attention.
In the maze of seeking TBI treatment options, floating, known also as floatation therapy or restricted environmental stimulus therapy (“REST”) is showing promise by itself and as an adjunct to any TBI treatment option. The following is a clinical case study involving a 45 year-old female, who sustained a traumatic brain injury and was in the process of symptomatic recovery. She had been trying various methods and at the initiation of the study and was under the care of an osteopathic physician. After her initial float therapy session at The Float Zone, we mutually decided to monitor her progress via having her commit to a “therapeutic dose” of float therapy in order to see if and how much positive progress could be made, and would therefore give an indication of a clinically/ medically justified frequency for floating after this initial period. The intention was to reduce the frequency if significant progress was being made.
Author Dr. David Berv can be reached at david@myfloatzone.com