Why ‘Just Rest’ Isn’t Enough for Concussion Recovery
Most people are told the same thing after a concussion: “Just rest and give it time.”
While rest is certainly important right after a head injury, it’s not the full picture—and for many people, it’s not enough. Concussions are more than just “bumps on the head.” They’re brain injuries that can disrupt how your brain communicates, processes information, and even handles emotions.
For some, symptoms like headaches, memory issues, or brain fog fade after a few days. But for others, these problems can linger for weeks, months, or even longer. This is known as Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms (PPCS), and it can deeply impact a person’s quality of life.
Here’s the thing: modern research is showing us that passive rest alone isn’t always the best route to healing. In fact, too much rest—especially in isolation—can actually slow recovery down. It can lead to physical deconditioning, increase stress, and keep the brain from doing what it naturally wants to do: heal and rewire itself.
This is where active recovery strategies come in.
From gentle movement to therapies that support brain oxygen levels and reduce inflammation, a more proactive approach helps the brain recover more effectively. These strategies tap into the brain’s natural ability to adapt and heal—a concept called neuroplasticity—and they form the foundation of how functional medicine supports concussion recovery.
In this blog, we’ll explore what happens in the brain after a concussion, why “just resting” may not be enough, and how tools like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, neurofeedback, and nutritional support can help rebuild brain function in a safe and holistic way.
But first, let’s take a closer look at what actually happens to the brain during a concussion—and why that matters so much for recovery. Understanding the injury is the first step toward healing it.
What Happens to the Brain During a Concussion?
A concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that happens when the brain gets shaken inside the skull—usually from a blow to the head, a fall, or a sudden jolt (like whiplash). Even though it’s called “mild,” the effects can be anything but.
When the brain is jolted like this, several things can happen all at once:
- Neural Disruption: The impact can cause temporary changes in how brain cells (neurons) communicate with each other. These disrupted signals can lead to brain fog, memory issues, or trouble concentrating.
- Inflammation: The injury can trigger inflammation in the brain, which may interfere with healing and worsen symptoms like headaches or mood swings.
- Reduced Oxygen Flow: Blood flow and oxygen delivery to certain areas of the brain may decrease, slowing the brain’s ability to repair itself.
Because of what happens to the brain, concussion symptoms can affect so many areas of life—cognitive function, emotions, balance, sleep, even digestion.
The Brain’s Healing Potential: Neuroplasticity
Thankfully, the brain is incredibly adaptable.
Due to a process called neuroplasticity, the brain can actually rewire itself, forming new connections to work around injured areas. It’s like the brain’s own version of taking a detour when the main road is closed.
But neuroplasticity doesn’t just happen on its own—it needs the right conditions. That’s where a whole-body approach comes in.
Functional medicine works to support the body’s natural healing abilities by:
- Reducing inflammation
- Improving oxygen and nutrient delivery to the brain
- Stimulating neural pathways through therapies like neurofeedback and movement-based rehab
When we give the brain what it needs to thrive, we support it in doing what it’s naturally designed to do: heal and adapt.
The Whole-Body Approach to Concussion Recovery
Once someone has moved past the initial rest phase of a concussion, they’re often left wondering what comes next. But here’s the issue: in most conventional settings, there isn’t always a clear “next step.” And that’s exactly where many people hit a wall.
In standard medical care, the focus is often on managing symptoms—maybe through medication or just more rest. While this can help in the short term, it doesn’t always support the deeper repair your brain needs after an injury.
That’s because concussions can affect multiple systems at once:
- Brain signaling gets disrupted.
- Inflammation can linger.
- Oxygen and nutrients may not reach areas that need healing.
- And your body’s energy production (especially in brain cells) may be weakened.
Simply waiting for time to fix these issues often leaves people stuck in limbo—still dealing with headaches, brain fog, emotional ups and downs, or trouble concentrating weeks or even months after the injury.
Functional medicine takes a more comprehensive approach. Instead of treating symptoms in isolation, it looks at the brain in the context of the whole body. If your brain is not getting the oxygen it needs or if inflammation is blocking recovery, those root causes need to be addressed for true healing to happen.
Functional medicine also works with the brain’s natural ability to heal and adapt—a process we’ve already touched on called neuroplasticity. Instead of just waiting for the brain to reset on its own, this approach helps create the right conditions for rewiring: reducing inflammation, improving energy production, and supplying the brain with the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
Through therapies like oxygen therapy, movement-based rehab, and nutritional support, functional medicine helps the brain do what it’s designed to do—reorganize, recover, and return to balance.
It’s not about replacing rest—it’s about building on it with active, supportive care that moves healing forward.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the strategies that can help restore brain function after a concussion—starting with one of the most powerful tools for cellular repair and recovery: oxygen.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Fueling the Brain with Oxygen
Imagine trying to heal a broken bone without enough blood flow or repairing a house without enough materials. That’s a bit like what happens when the brain does not get the oxygen it needs after a concussion.
When a concussion occurs, the brain’s normal communication systems are disrupted. Blood flow can decrease, inflammation sets in, and the body’s natural repair processes start to lag. But one thing we know for sure: oxygen is essential for healing. And that’s exactly where Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) comes in.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a gentle, non-invasive therapy where you breathe in pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This might sound high-tech, but the goal is simple: to flood your body—and especially your brain—with oxygen it wouldn’t normally get.
Why is this important?
When you increase oxygen availability, you’re giving the brain exactly what it needs to:
- Reduce inflammation
- Speed up tissue repair
- Support the growth of new blood vessels
- Stimulate neurogenesis, or the creation of new brain cells
HBOT also supports mitochondrial function—those little “power plants” inside your cells that create energy. After a concussion, your brain often struggles to produce enough cellular energy to function and heal properly. By enhancing oxygen delivery and boosting mitochondrial efficiency, HBOT helps get that process back on track.
What the Research Says
Multiple studies have shown that HBOT can be particularly effective for people dealing with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS)—especially when those symptoms linger long after the initial injury.
For example:
- Children who received 40 sessions of HBOT at 1.5 ATA (a common treatment level) experienced improvements in memory, focus, and overall brain function.
- Adults with lingering symptoms reported better sleep, fewer headaches, and improved mood and mental clarity.
- Imaging studies even showed positive changes in brain structure and connectivity following HBOT sessions.
This therapy doesn’t just help people feel better—it helps the brain function better by giving it the oxygen it needs to heal deeply.
What to Expect During a Session
HBOT is often described as calming and even meditative. During a session, you’ll sit or lie comfortably in a special chamber while breathing oxygen. Many people listen to music, nap, or just relax while the oxygen does its work. Sessions typically last about an hour, and the number of sessions depends on individual needs and goals.
It’s a simple therapy with a powerful impact—and a key part of many brain recovery protocols.
Of course, oxygen is just one part of the healing equation. Rebalancing the brain’s electrical activity is another—especially when concussions disrupt how brainwaves function. Let’s explore how therapies like the Theta Chamber can help bring the brain back into balance.
The Theta Chamber: Restoring Brainwave Balance
After a concussion, it’s not just the physical tissue of the brain that’s affected — the brain’s electrical activity can also get thrown off. Think of it like a song that’s suddenly offbeat or out of tune. You might still recognize the melody, but it does not feel quite right.
This disruption in brainwaves is one reason why people often experience symptoms like:
- Difficulty focusing
- Mood swings or anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
- Sensory overload (light and sound sensitivity)
That’s where therapies like the Theta Chamber come in. While it may sound futuristic, its goal is also simple: to help the brain reset and return to a calmer, more balanced rhythm.
How Brainwaves Get Disrupted After a Concussion
Your brain uses different types of waves to manage everything from deep sleep to quick decision-making. After a concussion, these waves can become imbalanced—for example, too much high-frequency “beta” activity can lead to anxiety or mental fatigue, while too little “theta” or “alpha” activity may contribute to poor memory and emotional regulation.
Restoring these patterns is key to feeling like yourself again.
What the Theta Chamber Does
The Theta Chamber uses a mix of light, sound, and gentle vibration to help guide your brain into a relaxed theta state—a natural brainwave frequency associated with creativity, deep relaxation, and repair.
In this deeply relaxed state, your nervous system can take a break from overdrive. This gives your brain a better opportunity to:
- Reset overloaded circuits
- Rebuild healthy brainwave patterns
- Support neurotransmitter balance (like serotonin and dopamine)
Improve mood, memory, and emotional resilience
Many individuals find that regular Theta Chamber sessions help them feel calmer, clearer, and more emotionally balanced, making it a valuable part of a well-rounded concussion recovery plan.
What It Feels Like
Most people describe a Theta Chamber session as a deeply calming experience. You’ll lie back in a reclined chair while lights and sounds gently guide your brain into that restorative theta zone. It’s non-invasive, pain-free, and often leaves people feeling like they’ve just woken from a really good nap.
While the Theta Chamber helps restore the brain’s rhythm and emotional balance, another tool goes even further by helping the brain learn how to function better in real-time.
Neurofeedback: Training the Brain to Function Optimally
After a concussion, the brain can sometimes get stuck in unhealthy patterns—like staying in a constant state of stress or struggling to focus no matter how hard you try. These patterns aren’t always visible on a standard scan, but they show up in how we feel: foggy thinking, trouble sleeping, mood swings, and more.
Neurofeedback is a therapy designed to gently “coach” the brain back into balance by giving it real-time feedback on how it’s functioning. Think of it like a mirror for your brain—helping it recognize what’s out of sync and encouraging it to self-correct.
How It Works
During a neurofeedback session, sensors are placed on the scalp to monitor your brainwave activity. You’ll watch a screen (often a movie or simple animation) that changes based on how your brain is performing in the moment. When your brain is working in a healthy, balanced pattern, the screen rewards you by staying bright or clear. When your brain slips into stress patterns, the screen dims or slows down.
Over time, your brain begins to recognize and repeat those healthier patterns on its own—kind of like muscle memory but for your mind.
Why It Matters After a Concussion
Because concussions can disrupt brainwave activity, neurofeedback is especially helpful for:
- Reducing brain fog and mental fatigue
- Calming anxiety and emotional reactivity
- Improving focus, memory, and sleep
- Easing headaches or light/sound sensitivity
It’s a non-invasive therapy with a growing body of evidence behind it. Many people report noticeable improvements after just a few sessions, and the effects can be long-lasting, especially when neurofeedback is combined with other brain-healing therapies.
What to Expect
Sessions are typically relaxing and comfortable. There’s no pain, no electrical stimulation—just your brain learning through feedback. Over time, these new patterns become the default, helping your mind work more clearly and calmly without needing to force it.
Of course, the brain does not heal in isolation. What you feed your body, especially after an injury, plays a huge role in how well your brain can recover. Let’s explore how targeted nutrition supports brain repair and energy.
Nutritional Support for Brain Repair
When it comes to healing the brain, what you eat matters more than most people realize. After a concussion, the brain’s demand for nutrients skyrockets—it’s working hard to repair damaged tissue, reduce inflammation, and restore normal function.
But here’s the challenge: many people recovering from a brain injury are unknowingly undernourished when it comes to the specific nutrients their brain needs to heal.
Functional medicine sees food as a key part of the recovery plan—not just for general wellness but as a targeted therapy to reduce inflammation, support brain energy, and protect fragile neural tissue.
Some top brain-supportive foods include:
- Fatty fish like salmon and sardines — rich in omega-3s that help reduce neuroinflammation and support brain cell repair
- Turmeric — which contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory compound
Berries, leafy greens, and dark chocolate — loaded with antioxidants that protect brain cells from damage - Colorful veggies and fruits — rich in polyphenols and other plant-based compounds that fuel brain resilience
Also, after a concussion, the brain’s mitochondria (the tiny power plants in our cells) often struggle to produce enough energy. Certain nutrients when used in tandem with nutrition can help restore that energy production:
- B vitamins (especially B6, B12, and folate) help support cognitive function and nerve health.
- Magnesium is essential for calming overactive neurons and supporting cellular repair.
- CoQ10 helps mitochondria create energy more efficiently.
- Zinc and vitamin D also support brain cell health and immune function.
In some cases, supplements may be helpful—especially when nutrient absorption is compromised—but whole foods should always be the foundation.
In addition to focusing on nutrition, you may want to consider addressing your gut when recovering from a concussion or really any injury. What happens in your gut can directly affect your body and specifically the brain. That’s because the gut and brain are connected through the vagus nerve and a network of chemical messengers, often referred to as the gut-brain axis.
If the gut is inflamed or imbalanced, it can send stress signals to the brain, increasing anxiety, mood swings, and even brain fog. Supporting gut health with fiber-rich foods, fermented veggies, and a variety of whole plant-based foods can help regulate this communication and create a healthier environment for recovery.
Nourishing the brain is one essential piece—but so is movement. Gentle, guided activity does more than just rebuild physical strength—it helps rewire the brain itself. We will now take a look at how movement-based therapies support neural repair after concussion.
Movement-Based Therapies for Neural Rewiring
When recovering from a concussion, movement might feel like the last thing someone wants to do—especially if symptoms like dizziness, balance issues, or fatigue are present. But the truth is, the right kind of movement can actually help the brain heal faster.
Why? Because the brain is constantly adapting. Each time you move with intention, especially when that movement is paired with visual or sensory input, you’re encouraging your brain to reinforce and rebuild important connections. Movement helps activate the same neural pathways that may have been disrupted after a concussion, giving the brain more opportunities to strengthen and refine them.
Some examples of movement therapies that can help include…
Vestibular and balance therapy which includes guided exercises that retrain how the brain interprets signals from the eyes, ears, and muscles. These exercises might include:
- Head and eye coordination drills
- Postural control and balance work
- Walking or stepping patterns that engage both sides of the brain
Over time, this therapy helps the brain rebuild confidence in movement and reduces symptoms like dizziness, motion sensitivity, and fatigue.
Another powerful movement-based approach is ocular-motor therapy, often used in functional neurology. This targets how the eyes move and track objects—a function that’s often disrupted after a concussion.
Eye movement therapy may include:
- Smooth pursuit exercises (like following a moving target)
- Saccadic training (quick, jumpy eye movements between objects)
- Visual tracking drills that challenge both focus and coordination
These techniques do more than improve vision—they stimulate areas of the brain involved in attention, memory, and balance. Since so much of our brain is devoted to processing visual information, retraining eye movements can have a ripple effect on overall cognitive function.
The Brain Heals Through Movement
What’s important to understand is that this isn’t about pushing through symptoms—it’s about engaging the brain in safe, structured ways that support rewiring. When done correctly and with the right guidance, movement becomes medicine for the brain.
Each of these therapies plays a unique role in the healing process. But the real power lies in how they work together—supporting the brain from multiple angles at once. Recovery doesn’t follow a straight line, and that’s why a thoughtful, combined approach often leads to the most meaningful progress.
The Path to Full Recovery: Combining Therapies for Best Results
Every concussion is different. Some people bounce back quickly, while others find themselves dealing with lingering symptoms that just don’t seem to go away. That’s why no single therapy is a magic fix—and why a multi-therapy approach is often the key to full recovery.
When therapies are thoughtfully combined, each one enhances the effects of the others. It’s like giving your brain a personalized toolkit: oxygen to fuel it, nutrients to repair it, movement to rewire it, and brainwave therapies to help it regulate and rest.
Here’s how it all comes together:
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) delivers the oxygen your brain needs to repair tissue, reduce inflammation, and support cellular energy.
- Neurofeedback and the Theta Chamber help regulate brainwave activity, reduce emotional reactivity, and improve focus, memory, and mood.
- Nutritional support gives your brain the raw materials it needs to rebuild—especially important after injury.
- Movement-based therapies retrain your balance, coordination, and visual processing, which are often disrupted post-concussion.
Together, these therapies create a healing environment where the brain isn’t just surviving—it’s learning, adapting, and growing stronger.
When to Seek Help
If you or someone you love is still dealing with symptoms weeks or months after a concussion—whether it’s foggy thinking, dizziness, irritability, or poor sleep—it may be time to seek more specialized care. Persistent symptoms are often a sign that the brain needs extra support to fully heal.
There is hope! Recovery is possible. And with the right combination of therapies, many people experience a significant improvement in how they feel, think, and function.
Moving Beyond Rest Toward Proactive Healing
Rest will always have its place in concussion recovery—but it’s only the starting point. True healing requires more than waiting. It takes intention, support, and a deeper understanding of what the brain needs to rebuild.
We now know the brain has a powerful capacity to recover—but only when it’s given the right tools. Oxygen, nutrition, brainwave support, movement, and personalized therapies all work together to create lasting change. And for many people, that’s the difference between temporary relief and full recovery.
If you’re still feeling the effects of a concussion—whether it happened weeks ago or years ago—you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not stuck.
There are real, evidence-based strategies that can help your brain heal.
If you or someone you love is living with lingering concussion symptoms, the team at Hyperbaric Wellness Center is here to help. We take a whole-body approach to brain recovery—one that’s gentle, personalized, and designed to support lasting change.
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Healing is possible—and you deserve to feel like yourself again.
Resources
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