I am a professional dancer and 4 weeks ago I received a concussion in a dance class. The week following I did not stop dancing or working, as I didn’t really think I had a concussion and didn’t have any nausea or dizziness. A week after hitting my head I was in a dance class and afterwards felt nauseous, dizzy, and in a haze, so I went to urgent care where they told me I definitely had a concussion, but did not do an MRI. It has now been three weeks since I was at the doctor and began resting (4 weeks since actual incident), and I am still feeling pain in changing spots in my head and my eyes are sensitive to light. Is this normal? I recently had an online doctor tell me that since I don’t have dizziness or nausea anymore it’s ok to return to dancing and working. Is this true?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

You are still having symptoms. Light sensitivity is very common. At 4 weeks, you are in post concussion syndrome (PCS) territory. Latest research says to attempt very light exercise during this time. If your symptoms worsen doing the activity (specifically a 2 point increase in the 1 to 10 painscale), then take a 10 minute break. If the pain subsides, you can continue. If it does not, stop the work out for that day. Examples of a good workout at this stage would be simple things like walking. We did this with the guidance of a PT who also monitored heart rate as a guage of intensity gradually increasing as the pain and symptoms allowed. Go slow.

I also recommend visiting an optometrist who does eye therapy. The eyes are affected in nearly all concussions. Protocol for many pro athletes diagnosed with concussion is to start eye therapy immediately. It was a big help for my child.

You can find a local resource for this at the 'college of optometrists in vision development' (covd) website. For more information, here is the covd website: Acquired & Traumatic Brain Injury - College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)

Don't forget...go slow...can't rush recovering from a head injury...that's most common mistake folks make, especially athletes.